A maternal death is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, regardless of the site or duration of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management. New estimates show that the leading causes of maternal deaths are haemorrhage and hypertension, which together account for more than half of maternal deaths (figure 4). Indirect causes, which include deaths due to conditions such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and cardiac diseases, account for about onefifth of maternal deaths.

 Regional estimates show that haemorrhage and hypertension are among the top three causes of deaths in both South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of maternal deaths occur.

 The categories of maternal deaths are based on a new classification system developed by WHO that considers obstructed labour and anaemia to be contributing conditions rather than direct causes. Deaths related to these two conditions are now classified within the categories of haemorrhage or sepsis.