Deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes have fallen by almost half across the world in the past quarter century, but only nine countries have achieved the targets set by the United Nations, a report by UN agencies said Thursday.

"This report will show that by the end of 2015 maternal mortality will have dropped by 44 percent from its levels from 1990," said Dr Lale Say, coordinator for reproductive health and research at the World Health Organization, adding that the progress was "uneven across countries".