Skilled attendance at delivery is critical to reducing maternal deaths, and since 1995 every region of the developing world has made progress in increasing coverage. Overall, nearly 60 per cent of births in the developing world are attended by skilled health personnel (doctor, nurse or midwife).

The lowest proportion of skilled birth attendance is found in sub-Saharan Africa (43 per cent) and South Asia (41 per cent), which are also the two regions with the greatest number of maternal deaths.