Why U.S. maternal mortality is so much worse than Europe’s

What fragmented care, social inequity, and policy neglect reveal about the American maternity system.

Start with the numbers. In 2023, the United States recorded about 18.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 22.3 in 2022, yet still very high for a wealthy nation. Black mothers faced much higher risk than White mothers. Europe’s rich countries sit far lower. Recent OECD reporting shows single-digit rates in many European systems, with an …