The attainment of the global goal of safe motherhood is a major challenge to health systems.1-3 Nearly every 2 minutes, somewhere in the world, a woman dies because of complications of pregnancy and childbirth.1 A fact that confers maternal mortality as a widely acknowledged general indicator of the overall health of a population, of the status of women in society, and of the functioning of the health system.4 High maternal mortality ratios (MMR) are thus markers of wider problems of health status, gender inequalities, and health services in a country.4 Therefore, an international comparison of maternal health requires taking into account the differences in demographic and socio-economic determinants of health.