Black women in the U.S. faced a maternal mortality rate nearly 3.5 times higher than that of white women in 2023, even as overall maternal deaths dropped below pre-pandemic levels, according to federal health data released Wednesday.
In 2021 and 2022, Black women were about 2.6 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications compared to white women.
The findings suggest that while the COVID-19 pandemic affected all pregnant women at its peak, disparities resurfaced once normal activities resumed. “Once we went back to ‘usual activities,’ then the impact of systemic racism and unequal access (to medical care) … came right back into place,” said Dr. Amanda Williams, interim medical director for the March of Dimes.
