A global analysis of the contribution of maternal mortality to lifetime uncertainty

Abstract Preventable maternal mortality remains a major cause of premature death, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Maternal mortality reduces women’s life expectancy, yet its contribution to variation in the age of death has not been quantified globally. Using Global Burden of Disease mortality estimates, we provide the first global estimates of its contribution to life expectancy and lifetime uncertainty. In most regions, maternal mortality makes a small contribution to both measures. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the exception. In the highest-burden countries, eliminating maternal mortality may substantially reduce lifetime uncertainty and increase life expectancy from age 10 onwards. Potential reductions in uncertainty exceed gains in life expectancy. Across the maternal mortality transition, the contribution of maternal mortality to both measures declines systematically. These findings reveal an overlooked dimension of inequity in maternal health outcomes: maternal mortality imposes a double burden on women’s survival by shortening lives and making the timing of death less predictable.