Black women face a devastating racial disparity in pregnancy-related homicides, dying from violence at more than four times the rate of white mothers, according to a new analysis of maternal deaths from 2018 through 2023.
Among 7,901 maternal deaths examined, homicide occurred most frequently among Black women of all ages. Young Black mothers ages 15 to 24 faced the starkest inequality, dying from homicide at 14.3 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 3.4 deaths among white women and 3.3 deaths among Hispanic women, reported Hooman A. Azad of Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
The analysis found that drug overdoses, homicides, and suicides together accounted for more than a quarter of all deaths among pregnant and postpartum women. Homicides made up 68 percent of all violent deaths, with firearms involved in 77 percent of homicides.
While white women showed higher rates of suicide and unintentional drug overdose compared to Black or Hispanic women, the homicide disparity affecting Black mothers reveals a critical intersection of violence and maternal health.
“Research dating back decades finds that rates of violent death exceed obstetrical causes of death for pregnant women,” said Maeve Wallace of the University of Arizona. “What is disheartening is that this continues to be the case.”
Wallace emphasized that pregnancy represents a “critical window of opportunity” for intervention. “In many instances, women experiencing violence in the home, substance use, or severe mental health issues may not have been in contact with providers and systems who can offer referrals and support for these challenges, if not for the fact that they became pregnant.”
See: “Top Causes of Maternal Death May Not Be What You Think” (February 11, 2026)
