WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries

🇦🇫

Maternal & Child Mortality
in Afghanistan

South Asia · #1 of 30 worst globally

Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026

0

101.3 per 1,000 live births · Afghanistan

Deaths at Birth Today

0

est. newborns today

Infant Mortality Rate

101.3

per 1,000 · 3.8× world avg

Maternal Mortality Rate

620

per 100,000 · 3.1× world avg

South Asia

Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in Afghanistan
During Childbirth

620 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births — one mother dies every 1.4 hours. Afghanistan is among the most dangerous places on Earth to give birth.

Newborn & Infant Mortality

101.3deaths per 1,000 live births

3.8× the world average

Maternal Mortality During Birth

620deaths per 100,000 live births

3.1× the world average

👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in Afghanistan

Decades of conflict have destroyed healthcare infrastructure. Only 38% of health facilities are fully functional, and fewer than 30% of births occur in a health facility. Children in rural provinces face mortality rates 3× higher than urban centres.

Progress between 2002–2019 has reversed since 2021 under the new administration, with international health funding largely withdrawn.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth

Neonatal complications28%

Pneumonia & ARI22%

Malnutrition18%

Diarrhoeal diseases14%

Other preventable18%

* Neonatal deaths (first 28 days) represent the largest share of under-5 mortality.

What Happens in the Delivery Room

🏥

Births in a health facility~76%

estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas

👩‍⚕️

Skilled birth attendant present~27%

doctor, midwife or trained nurse

⚠️

Neonatal deaths (first 28 days)48%

of all under-5 deaths occur at birth

🩸

Most preventable with skilled care~75%

of child and maternal deaths

🤱

Maternal Mortality During Birth in Afghanistan

Only 21% of births are attended by a skilled health professional. Under current governance, women face severe restrictions on accessing healthcare without a male guardian, and female healthcare workers have been largely barred from hospitals.

The ratio fell from over 1,800 in 2000 to ~620 by 2023, but progress has stalled entirely. WHO warns of reversal without sustained access.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery

Severe haemorrhage27%

Pre-eclampsia / eclampsia22%

Sepsis & infection16%

Obstructed labour14%

Unsafe abortion12%

Other complications9%

* Haemorrhage and eclampsia together cause over 50% of deaths — both are treatable with basic skilled care.

Why Mothers Die at Birth Here

🩺

Emergency obstetric care availableLimited

few facilities can manage haemorrhage

🩸

Blood transfusion accessCritical gap

haemorrhage kills within 2 hours

💊

Magnesium sulphate (eclampsia)Often absent

costs $1 — saves lives instantly

✅

If skilled care were universal~75% fewer deaths

WHO estimate for this mortality level

⚠️

Why Is This Still Happening?

Structural Barriers to Safe Birth in Afghanistan

Ongoing armed conflict destroying health facilities

Severe restriction of women's rights and healthcare access

Critical shortage of trained female health workers

Extreme poverty — 97% of population below poverty line (2022)

Widespread food insecurity and acute malnutrition

Withdrawal of international aid and NGO operations

🎯

SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Afghanistan is off-track for all SDG 3 targets. At current rates it will not reach ≤25 child deaths per 1,000 before 2070.

💡

Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in Afghanistan?

📍 The Situation

Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in this dataset. Decades of conflict have destroyed healthcare infrastructure across much of the country. Most women give birth at home, without skilled attendance, in areas where clinics are inaccessible or non-functional. Obstetric emergencies — haemorrhage, obstructed labour, pre-eclampsia — go undetected and unmanaged.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

The majority of Afghanistan's maternal deaths are from postpartum haemorrhage and obstructed labour — both detectable prenatally. A single antenatal POCUS scan can identify placenta previa, malpresentation, and multiple pregnancy, allowing safe transfer planning well before labour begins. Community midwives trained in basic OB POCUS through programs like GUSI's can provide this assessment in primary health centres without requiring hospital infrastructure.

🎓 The Training Gap

Afghanistan has critical shortages of skilled birth attendants. Short-duration POCUS training for existing community midwives and nurses — GUSI's model — is one of the fastest pathways to reducing obstetric mortality without requiring years of medical training.

What a trained provider can detect with a portable ultrasound device

🩸Placenta previa

🔄Malpresentation

👥Twin pregnancy

📉Fetal growth restriction

⚡Pre-eclampsia markers

🫁Childhood pneumonia

💉Internal bleeding

🧠Hydrocephalus

🧮

Interactive Model

POCUS Impact Calculator — Afghanistan

Model based on: 600 scans/provider/year · 15% high-risk detection rate · 47% mortality reduction for detected cases (Swanson et al. 2014 · WHO POCUS in LMICs review)

Number of POCUS-trained providers deployed in Afghanistan50

1 provider250500 providers

Scans per Year

30,000

pregnant women screened

High-Risk Detected

4,500

flagged for referral / intervention

Maternal Deaths Prevented

42

mothers saved per year

Newborn Deaths Prevented

81

babies saved per year

Total Lives Saved Per Year

123deaths prevented

2.5

lives per provider

$201

est. cost per life saved

$24,750

total training investment

* This calculator uses a conservative evidence-based model. Actual impact varies by deployment context, provider experience, and health system capacity. Training cost based on GUSI OB POCUS Essentials (~$495/provider). Mortality reduction from peer-reviewed POCUS implementation studies in low-resource settings.

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Technology & Education

A Practical Plan to Bring POCUS to Afghanistan

🗺️ Deployment Roadmap for Afghanistan

Baseline assessment — map existing facilities, referral pathways, blood supply, and available midwives, nurses, and physicians who could be trained.
Provider training — enrol local champions in GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials + Pediatric POCUS courses. Certify a core group to train others.
Device procurement — select appropriate portable handheld devices based on power infrastructure, connectivity, and budget (see brands below).
Protocols & referral integration — define what to scan, what findings trigger referral, and how to document scans at the point of care.
Quality assurance — regular image review sessions, outcomes tracking, and refresher training to maintain competency.

📡 Recommended Portable Ultrasound Devices

🦋 Butterfly iQ+

Website →

Single-probe whole-body device covering OB, cardiac, lung, and FAST exams. App-based platform with built-in AI guidance. Designed for low-resource environments — charges via USB and works with any smartphone.

🔵 Philips Lumify

Website →

App-based probe that plugs into Android phones. Multiple transducer heads available for OB and point-of-care use. Widely used in GUSI-supported training programs globally.

🟢 GE Vscan Air

Website →

Wireless, pocket-sized dual-probe handheld. Streams live images to a smartphone app. Excellent battery life — purpose-built for rapid bedside OB and FAST-style assessments.

🔷 Clarius HD3

Website →

High-resolution wireless handheld. Multiple probe configurations available. Strong image quality in a compact form factor — suitable for OB, lung, and neonatal scanning.

Global Ultrasound Institute · GUSI

The training that closes the gap — built for providers in settings like Afghanistan

GUSI trains physicians, nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Courses are designed from the ground up for providers in resource-limited settings — short, practical, competency-based, and available online or in person. Every course maps directly to the conditions killing mothers and babies during childbirth.