Maternal mortality in Colombia in the year 2021

Introduction: The maternal mortality rate is one of the leading development indicators of a country; it tells us both about access to health and the social conditions of a population and can be modified by them. The maternal mortality rate has been reduced in the last decade in the Latin American region and Colombia; however, it continues above the goal proposed in the millennium objectives. Methodology: An analysis of the maternal mortality ratio in Colombia in 2021 was carried out using data obtained from DANE. Additionally, sociodemographic characteristics were filtered to evaluate their relationship with maternal mortality and graphed through the RStudio program. Results: La Guajira, Guaviare, and Nariño are the departments with the highest maternal mortality ratio. The leading causes of maternal death are viral diseases, severe preeclampsia, and other specific disorders and conditions that complicate pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperal. Discussion: The impact of sociodemographic variables on the maternal mortality rate and the importance of analyzing the problem from a multifactorial perspective are discussed. Conclusion: Variables such as social security and education represent a condition of vulnerability in pregnant women. It was evidenced that in the regions where social and economic conditions are precarious, the MMR is disproportionately higher despite the population density by the department.