Profile photo of online blog “Shine Liberia”
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A social media blog, Shine Liberia, claimed that statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that Liberia’s maternal mortality ratio is 742 per 100,000 live births.
Verdict: (WHO) Liberia Technical Health Officer, Kwuakuan Yealue, denies the claims, as statistics from (WHO) show 627.7 per 100,000 live births.
Full Text
A social media blog, Shine Liberia, alleged that the World Health Organization (WHO) 2025 data for Liberia indicate a maternal mortality ratio of 742 per 100,000 live births.
“WHO 2025 Statistics on Liberia. Liberia is grappling with a severe maternal health crisis. Recent reports show 206 maternal deaths and 961 newborn deaths, with a staggering maternal mortality ratio of 742 per 100,000 live births,” the platform stated.
The post received 59 likes, 24 comments, and 1 share as of February 16, 2026. Also, a social media user, Charles T. Cooper, posted on February 6, 2026, claiming that Liberia’s maternal mortality rate currently stands between 742 and 854 deaths per 100,000 live births.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim as part of our mandate to counter misinformation and disinformation in public discourse.
Verification
Upon countering the claim, our researcher contacted WHO’s Liberia Technical Health Officer, Kwuakuan Yealue, who dismissed Shine Liberia’s claim by providing historical statistics on maternal mortality reports from the WHO for Liberia.
“The most recent global health estimates, Liberia’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in 2023 was approximately 628 deaths per 100,000 live births. This represents a significant improvement compared to earlier decades, down from about 1,749 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000.”
Our researcher also visited the WHO’s official website and reviewed statistics on Liberia’s maternal mortality ratio, which corroborated the information provided by the WHO.
Conclusion
Based on statistics from the WHO’s official website and a response from its Liberia Technical Health Officer, Kwuakuan Yealue, Shine Liberia’s claim is false.
