Charity Save the Children has declared a ‘silent emergency’ following a report on the state of maternal healthcare across the world. According to the organisation’s research, 24 million women will give birth without a doctor, midwife or nurse in 2024.

Every mother should have the right to give birth in a safe and dignified way. Yet, the new study has found that this will not be possible for many women across the globe. The charity also estimates that 28 million women will give birth outside of a healthcare facility this year, too, with conflict, climate-related disasters and humanitarian emergencies being major factors that are stopping mothers from being able to access the support they need during their pregnancies and births. The charity pointed to Somalia, which is currently dealing with devastating impacts of the climate crisis, and flagged that only 31.9% of mothers in the country give birth with a healthcare professional present. Similarly, it found that in conflict zones across the world, pregnant women are three times more likely to give birth without support from a doctor, nurse or midwife.

24 million mothers will give birth without a doctor, midwife or nurse this year