The number of maternal deaths has decreased from more than 540,000 deaths in 1990 to less than 290,000 in 2010 with a decline rate of 47 percent. According to World Health Organisation's (WHO), World health statistics 2012 report, the world has made significant progress, having reduced the number of child deaths from almost 10 million children aged less than five years in 2000 to 7.6 million annual deaths in 2010.
The report said decline in numbers of deaths from diarrhoeal disease and measles have been particularly striking. The report contains data from 194 countries on a range of mortality, disease and health system indicators including life expectancy, illnesses and deaths from a range of diseases, health services and treatments, financial investment in health, as well as risk factors and behaviours that affect health.
The report said, the highest obesity levels are in the WHO Region of the Americas with 26 percent of adults and the lowest in the WHO south-east Asia Region with 3 percent obese. In all parts of the world, women are more likely to be obese than men, and thus at greater risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
The report said, one in three adults worldwide, has raised blood pressure - a condition that causes around half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease while one in 10 adults has diabetes. In high-income countries, widespread diagnosis and treatment with low-cost medication have significantly reduced mean blood pressure across populations and this has contributed to a reduction in deaths from heart disease.
In Africa, however, more than 40 percent of adults in many countries are estimated to have high blood pressure. Most of these people remain undiagnosed, although many of these cases could be treated with low-cost medications, which would significantly reduce the risk of death and disability from heart disease and stroke.