MBRRACE 2026: Maternal mortality rising in the UK

The 2026 Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity (report link) report released today by MBRRACE-UK brings to light the deeply concerning picture we are currently facing in the UK. Despite the Government's ambition to reduce maternal mortality in England by 50% by 2025, this year's report illustrates that during 2022-24 the maternal death rate in the UK increased.

Once again, psychiatric causes play a significant role in the maternal mortality rate as do persistent health inequities.

Maternal Mental Health Cannot Be Ignored

• Maternal suicide remains the leading cause of direct deaths between six weeks and one year after birth.

• Overall, mental health conditions (suicide and substance use) accounted for a third of maternal deaths in this late postnatal period

• Nearly half of the women and birthing people who died in pregnancy to 6 weeks after birth had known mental health problems. This is 10% higher than 2019-21.

Deepening Disparities

Once again, health inequities are persistent in maternity care and outcomes.

Racism, systemic biases, stigma, and structural inequalities remain embedded in healthcare systems. For mothers and birthing people facing intersecting or multiple disadvantages, barriers to appropriate care are heightened.

During pregnancy or up to six weeks after:

• Black women were nearly three times more likely to die compared with white women. Asian women are 1.3 times to die compared to their white counterparts.

• Those experiencing the highest levels of deprivation were almost twice as likely to die.

• 21% of the women and birthing people who died experienced domestic abuse either prior to or during their pregnancy.

• 16% were considered to have multiple disadvantage based on the available data.

• 20% of the women and birthing people were known to social services.

It is likely that these statistics are underestimations due to poor data collection, lack of disclosure when it comes to abuse, and gaps in the recording of social risk factors.

Maternal deaths are preventable

This year's report looks at the cases of 252 women and birthing people who died in 2022-24, to uncover learning from each of these tragedies, that could prevent avoidable deaths in future and identify improvements for the wider system of care.

While the overall numbers who die is low, maternal death rates are rising. Since 2010, when the government set a goal to reduce maternal deaths, rates have increased by 20%.

• For 61% of the women and birthing people who died, improvements to care may have made a difference to the outcome.

These findings serve as a stark reminder that change is needed to protect mothers and birthing people in the UK. With improved care, different outcomes are possible and lives can be saved.

Action is urgently needed

Safe perinatal mental healthcare depends not only on crisis response, but on sufficiently staffed, universal services that can identify vulnerability and risk early, provide continuity, and ensure that mothers and birthing people feel seen, heard, and supported before difficulties reach crisis point. As the leading cause of late maternal death, perinatal mental illness must be given parity to physical health conditions throughout the maternity system.

ALL families must be able to access essential maternal mental health care and support when and where they need it without discrimination.

Nikki Wilson, CEO of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, says:

"Behind this report are mothers and birthing people who tragically lost their lives, many of whom who were let down by a fragmented and under resourced system and didn't get the care they deserved.

Year after year the confidential enquiry into maternal deaths highlights suicide as the leading case of late maternal deaths. This means unrecognised distress, unanswered needs, and missed opportunities for prevention, recognition and treatment of perinatal mental health problems that lead to tragic, avoidable deaths.

At a time when the spotlight is on maternity care in the UK, this should be the wake-up call it is. Yet neither the Government's maternity and neonatal taskforce nor the maternity care bundle demonstrates that maternal mental health is being given the same priority as physical health. Despite suicide remaining a leading cause of maternal death, the maternity care bundle lacks adequate resourcing and instead relies largely on measures that are unlikely to deliver any immediate reduction in deaths. It is quite frankly, not good enough."