U.S. maternal mortality rate far exceeds other high-income nations. Here's what's different.

While U.S. pregnancy-related deaths have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, the country's maternal mortality rate is still a national crisis — far exceeding other high-income nations, a new report shows. 

Approximately 22 women died from childbirth-related causes for every 100,000 live births in the United States in 2022, according to the Commonwealth Fund, a private research foundation, making the U.S. the country with the highest rate of maternal deaths of any high-income nation analyzed. 

In comparison, the three countries with the lowest rates are Sweden, with nearly three deaths for every 100,000 births, Switzerland, with one, and Norway, with zero.