Ukraine — The ongoing war in Ukraine is creating a severe maternal health crisis, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned Wednesday, reporting a sharp increase in maternal mortality and life-threatening complications among pregnant women.

Maternal Mortality Rates Rise Sharply

UNFPA data shows that maternal mortality in Ukraine jumped approximately 37% from 2023 to 2024, rising from 18.9 to 25.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. This surge reflects the deteriorating conditions for pregnant women amid the conflict, which has targeted healthcare infrastructure across the country.

Florence Bauer, UNFPA’s director for Eastern Europe, emphasized the human cost: “Our latest analysis shows a sharp deterioration in maternal health across Ukraine, with more women at risk of dying and more pregnancies ending in life-threatening complications. These are not abstract statistics – they are people and families living under unbearable stress and reflect a health system under attack.”

Hospitals and Maternity Centers Targeted

Six days before the UN warning, a maternity hospital run by UNFPA in Kherson was damaged by a strike, though no injuries were reported. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, over 80 maternity and neonatal facilities have been damaged or destroyed, part of more than 2,760 healthcare sites impacted nationwide.

Such attacks and the resulting collapse of essential services have forced many women to give birth under increasingly dangerous conditions, UNFPA said. Safe childbirth is being compromised, with frontline regions seeing some of the highest cesarean section rates in Europe, indicating strain on maternity care during humanitarian crises.

Increase in Pregnancy Complications

The conflict has also led to a rise in severe pregnancy complications:

• Uterine ruptures: up 44%
• Hypertension during pregnancy: up 12%

These figures highlight the growing risks faced by expectant mothers in Ukraine, with unsafe conditions putting both mothers and babies at significant risk.

Bauer stressed that international humanitarian law requires the protection of healthcare facilities, medical workers, and humanitarian access even in war: “Safe childbirth must be protected even in war. Health facilities, health workers, and humanitarian access must never be targeted.”

Humanitarian Implications

The UNFPA report underscores the broader humanitarian impact of the war, as destruction of medical infrastructure not only endangers pregnant women but also affects neonatal care, emergency surgeries, and access to critical maternal health services. Experts warn that continued attacks on hospitals could lead to further increases in maternal and infant mortality across the conflict zones.