Maternal mortality in Taiwan: Rates and trends

The development of a strategy for collection of accurate data on maternal deaths featured an interview census of families of women of reproductive age who died in Taiwan during 1984-1988. The census found 101 maternal deaths in addition to the 173 deaths identified as such in vital statistics records. The maternal mortality rate for the five-year period was 16.4 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is 58% higher than the official rate of 10.3 per 100,000. Taiwan's maternal mortality rate, which was 20.3 deaths per 100,000 in 1984, declined by 20% over the period studied.