WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries

🇳🇪

Maternal & Child Mortality
in Niger

West Africa · #7 of 30 worst globally

Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026

0

82 per 1,000 live births · Niger

Deaths at Birth Today

0

est. newborns today

Infant Mortality Rate

82.0

per 1,000 · 3.0× world avg

Maternal Mortality Rate

441

per 100,000 · 2.2× world avg

West Africa

Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in Niger
During Childbirth

441 maternal deaths per 100,000. With a fertility rate of 6.9, the cumulative lifetime risk of maternal death reaches 1 in 25.

Newborn & Infant Mortality

82.0deaths per 1,000 live births

3.0× the world average

Maternal Mortality During Birth

441deaths per 100,000 live births

2.2× the world average

👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in Niger

Niger is the world's poorest country by GDP per capita. Malnutrition affects over 40% of children under five — one of the highest rates globally. Population is growing faster than health systems can expand.

Significant reductions 2000–2015 driven by malaria net distribution and ORS programmes. Progress stalled since 2019.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth

Malaria27%

Neonatal causes25%

Diarrhoea16%

Pneumonia14%

Other18%

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

What Happens in the Delivery Room

🏥

Births in a health facility~78%

estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas

👩‍⚕️

Skilled birth attendant present~37%

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 Niger

Child marriage is virtually universal in parts of Niger — 76% of girls marry before 18. Early and closely-spaced pregnancies are major drivers of maternal death.

Modest improvement, but the absolute number of maternal deaths is rising because population growth outpaces the falling mortality rate.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery

Haemorrhage29%

Eclampsia21%

Sepsis17%

Obstructed labour15%

Anaemia10%

Other8%

* 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 Niger

World's highest fertility rate (6.9)

World's highest child marriage rate — 76% before age 18

Extreme poverty — lowest GDP per capita globally

Sahel climate shocks causing recurring food crises

Jihadist expansion from Mali destabilising health access

🎯

SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Niger's combination of very high fertility and poverty makes it the most structurally challenged country for SDG 3 health targets.

💡

Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in Niger?

📍 The Situation

Niger has the world's highest fertility rate (7.0 children per woman) and one of its youngest populations. The sheer volume of births — over 900,000 per year — in a country with minimal healthcare infrastructure creates an enormous burden that the existing health system cannot absorb. Over 80% of Niger's population lives in rural areas.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

With such high birth volume and low provider density, any technology that allows a single health worker to do more, see more, and act earlier has multiplied impact. Portable POCUS in Niger is most powerful as a triage tool — allowing a nurse at a rural health post to rapidly identify the 10–15% of pregnancies that carry high risk, ensuring those women reach a facility capable of managing complications.

🎓 The Training Gap

Niger's community health worker cadre is large and relatively well-organized. Introducing POCUS as a component of their toolkit — with training delivered through GUSI's online OB POCUS course accessible via mobile device — represents a scalable, affordable path to dramatically better antenatal screening coverage.

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 — Niger

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 Niger50

1 provider250500 providers

Scans per Year

30,000

pregnant women screened

High-Risk Detected

4,500

flagged for referral / intervention

Maternal Deaths Prevented

30

mothers saved per year

Newborn Deaths Prevented

66

babies saved per year

Total Lives Saved Per Year

96deaths prevented

1.9

lives per provider

$258

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 Niger

🗺️ Deployment Roadmap for Niger

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 Niger

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.