VIII. Midwifery & Global Models
WHO: Universal Midwifery Access (2025)
Midwives could prevent 60% of all birth-related deaths
Universal midwife access could prevent 60%+ of maternal/newborn deaths worldwide. 4.3 million lives saved annually by 2035.
A 2025 WHO position paper made the case that universal access to midwifery-led care could prevent more than 60 percent of maternal and newborn deaths globally. The estimate is based on modeling that compares current outcomes with what could be achieved if the midwife-led continuity model used in countries like Norway, the Netherlands, and the UK were implemented worldwide.
The paper projects 4.3 million lives saved annually by 2035 if the model is scaled up at the rate the WHO is proposing. Midwives are specifically trained for normal pregnancy and delivery, which is the vast majority of births. The model reserves obstetricians for genuine complications.
The current global pattern, where obstetricians manage routine births and midwives are marginal or absent, is the historical anomaly. The WHO data shows the cost is measurable, both in lives and in money.
60%+
Preventable maternal/newborn deaths
4.3M
Lives saved annually by 2035
2025
WHO position paper year
Global
Modeling scope
Why it matters
When the global health authority calculates that scaling one care model could save 4.3 million lives a year, the slow pace of that scaling is the story. The evidence is not the missing piece.
This is one finding from the research library behind How to Birth a Mother. Everything here traces back to a study, a dataset, or a systematic review.