War and Gender Inequalities in Health: The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality

The research examines whether armed conflict contributes to excess female mortality by affecting reproductive health and maternal mortality. The study finds that while conflict is associated with moderately higher maternal mortality rates, its effect on overall fertility is only significant in low-income countries, where it may act as a deterrent to the demographic transition. Unexpectedly, the study identifies that conflicts in neighboring countries are associated with lower maternal mortality, potentially due to the effectiveness of international health interventions for refugee populations.

• Armed conflicts are associated with higher overall fertility specifically in low-income countries, suggesting that conflict may hinder the demographic transition in these settings.
• There is a moderate positive correlation between armed conflict and maternal mortality rates; for example, a conflict of median intensity (2,500 battle-related deaths) is linked to a 10% increase in the Maternal Mortality Rate.
• Conflicts in neighboring countries are associated with lower maternal mortality rates, which the authors attribute to the success of NGOs and the international community in providing health services to refugee and host populations.
• The impact of armed conflict on maternal mortality may be indirect, as the effect is diminished when controlling for per capita income, suggesting it works through reduced economic performance affecting healthcare provision.

APA

Urdal, H., & Che, C. P. (n.d.). War and Gender Inequalities in Health: The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8977d1f3-85f8-4cd3-a579-f1238d14a9d4/War and Gender Inequalities in Health The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Urdal, Henrik, and Chi Primus Che. War and Gender Inequalities in Health: The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8977d1f3-85f8-4cd3-a579-f1238d14a9d4/War and Gender Inequalities in Health The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Urdal |first1=Henrik |last2=Che |first2=Chi Primus |title=War and Gender Inequalities in Health: The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8977d1f3-85f8-4cd3-a579-f1238d14a9d4/War and Gender Inequalities in Health The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{urdalndwar, author = {Urdal, Henrik and Che, Chi Primus}, title = {{War and Gender Inequalities in Health: The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8977d1f3-85f8-4cd3-a579-f1238d14a9d4/War and Gender Inequalities in Health The Impact of Armed Conflict on Fertility and Maternal Mortality.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }