Just as many women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth in the UK as they were 20 years ago, leaving Britain trailing behind countries like Albania, Poland and Slovakia as well as the wealthier nations of Europe.

The stagnation of the UK, only 23rd in the global league table, contrasts strikingly with the developing world where, according to a major new and comprehensive study in the Lancet, real inroads are being made on death rates among women in childbirth.

Globally, the number of deaths dropped from more than 500,000 a year in 1980 to 343,000 a year in 2008. In the last 20 years, deaths have been declining at a rate of about 1.4% a year.

The figures - shown below, show the Maternal mortality ratio (MMR) - the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

The attached spreadsheet also includes ISO country codes. Can you do anything with the data?



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