Abstract
Compared to the prior 10-year-period, the maternal mortality ratio decreased from 5.54 to 4.15. The mortality associated with caesarean section decreased 4.5 times. Women at risk are older mothers and those with a non-Swiss nationality, specifically non-Western nationalities. The most common cause of death in this period was haemorrhage, whereas in the previous period most women died of thromboembolism.