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Abstract Background The available literature indicates that there are significant differences in maternal mortality according to maternal origin in high income countries. The aim of this study was to examine the trend in the maternal mortality rate and its most common causes in Spain in recent years and to analyse its relationship with maternal origin. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of all live births as well as those resulting in maternal death in Spain during the period between 2000 and 2018. A descriptive analysis of the maternal mortality rate by cause, region of birth, maternal age, marital status, human development index and continent of maternal origin was performed. The risk of maternal death was calculated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, with adjustment for certain variables included in the descriptive analysis. Results There was a total of 293 maternal deaths and 8,439,324 live births during the study period. The most common cause of maternal death was hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The average maternal death rate was 3.47 per 100,000 live births. The risk of suffering from this complication was higher for immigrant women from less developed countries. The adjusted effect of maternal HDI score over maternal mortality was OR = 0.976; 95% CI 0.95 – 0.99; p = 0.048; therefore, a decrease of 0.01 in the maternal human development index score significantly increased the risk of this complication by 2.4%. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that there are inequalities in maternal mortality according to maternal origin in Spain. The human development index of the country of maternal origin could be a useful tool when estimating the risk of this complication, taking into account the origin of the pregnant woman.

Abstract Background The available literature suggests that there are significant differences in maternal mortality according to maternal origin in high income countries. The objective of this study was to quantify the risk of maternal death by maternal origin and region of Spain where the birth occurred and to identify the most important causes of maternal death in our country. Methods An ecological cross-sectional study was conducted that included all deliveries that resulted in maternal survival and cases of maternal death during 1999–2015 in Spain. A descriptive analysis of the maternal mortality rate by maternal origin, region and year of birth was performed. The risk of maternal death was calculated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, with adjustment for the variables included in the descriptive analysis. Results There were 272 maternal deaths during this period, most of which were due to haemorrhage (63 cases, 23.16%).Women whose continent of origin was South America had the highest adjusted risk of maternal death, with an OR of 3.92 (95% CI 2.75–5.58). The region of Spain with the highest risk of maternal death was Ceuta, with an OR of 12.11 (95% CI 2.02–72.68). Conclusions This study shows that there are inequalities in maternal mortality according to maternal origin and region where labour occurred. These findings highlight the need to establish strategies at the national and European levels to analyse the most relevant causes and risk factors associated with maternal mortality in order to reduce it and pay closer attention in identifying and carefully managing pregnant women from this at risk groups.