The fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 5) established the goal of a 75% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR; number of maternal deaths per 100 000 livebirths) between 1990 and 2015. Aimed to measure levels and track trends in maternal mortality, the key causes contributing to maternal death, and timing of maternal death with respect to delivery. This study is published by The Lancet look at the progress of UN Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on lowering child and maternal death rates in developing countries. This is the first paper in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 (GBD 2013), a systematic effort to describe the global distribution and causes of a wide array of major diseases, injuries, and health risk factors.