The Medical aid group, Merlin compiled this list of the most dangerous places to be an expectant mother. They are cling for midwives The list is based on figures produced by the United Nations.
1 - Afghanistan (1400 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births)
2 - Chad (1200/100,000) - This central African country only has one midwife for every 100,000 people. A girl growing up in Chad today has nearly the same chance of dying in childbirth as she has of attending secondary school.
3 - Somalia (1200/100,000) - This Horn of Africa country has been ravaged by civil war for the last 15 years which, when combined with years of severe drought and famine, has devastated the health services
4 - Guinea-Bissau (1000/100,000) - The capital has just one equipped surgery room. In remote rural areas women have to travel by canoe to reach qualified care. Caesareans cost $109 but two thirds of the population live on just $2 a day.
5 - Liberia (990/100,000) - This West African country has high maternal mortality rates but the recent influx of refugees fleeing violence in Ivory Coast means health services are even more squeezed. More than 100,000 Ivorians - mostly women and children - have arrived in Liberia in recent months. Refugees, made up mostly of women and children, walk for days and weeks to cross the border. Pregnant women who go into labour during the journey are forced to give birth in the bush.
6 - Sierra Leone (970/100,000) - One in eight women risks dying during pregnancy or childbirth. Every year 536,000 women die, mostly from bleeding and infection. With access to a trained health worker, 75 percent of these women could be saved.
7 - Burundi (970/100,000) -
8 - Central African Republic (850/100,000) - The country has just one midwife for 55,000 people. Insecurity has ravaged the country leaving many health centres abandoned.
9 - Nigeria (840/100,000) - Some 59,000 women die every year during pregnancy and childbirth. Just hours away from giving birth.
10 - Mali (830/100,000) -
When Southern Sudan becomes an independent nation this July, it will surely take it's place at the top of this list.