UNFPA State of the World’s Midwifery Report 2014

The State of the World’s Midwifery Report 2014 presents findings on midwifery from 73 low and middle- income countries across the world. The report explores the progress and trends that have taken place since 2011 and identifies the barriers and challenges to future progress.

The report finds that there is an urgent need to improve the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of midwifery services. Despite a steady drop in maternal and newborn deaths during the past decades, hundreds of thousands of women and newborns continue to die each year during pregnancy and childbirth. The vast majority of these deaths could have been prevented with proper antenatal care and the presence of a skilled midwife during delivery.