Table 1 Characteristics of study countries
| Â | Benin | Malawi | Tanzania | Uganda |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Country-level indicators | ||||
 Estimated population (in 2020, million) | 12.1 | 20.3 | 62.8 | 47.2 |
 Maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births (2017) [3] | 397 | 349 | 524 | 375 |
 Neonatal mortality rate per 1000 live births (2019) [1] | 31 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
 Stillbirth rate per 1000 total births (2019) [2] | 20.3 | 16.3 | 18.8 | 17.8 |
 % of live births in health facilities # | 83.9% | 91.4% | 62.6% | 73.4% |
 % of facility births in hospitals ## | 35.4% | 42.2% | 47.8% | 47.8% |
 Annual growth rate in % of births in health facilities (most recent DHS compared to survey between 2004 and 2006 ## | 0.7% | 2.5% | 2.6% | 5.8% |
 % of all live births by CS # - Poorest v Richest wealth quintile | 5.1 1.6–12.3% | 6.1 3.0–9.1% | 5.9 2.4–15.8% | 6.2 2.7–14.2% |
Among live births in health facilities | ||||
 % checked before discharge after facility births ## | 81% | 57% | 51% | 47% |
 % of all live births by CS# | 6.1% | 6.3% | 9.5% | 8.3% |
Among live births in hospitals | ||||
 Neonatal mortality per 1000 live births ## | 32.8 | 35.8 | 31.8 | 27.1 |
 % of newborns breastfed within 1 h of birth ## | 61.8% | 73.1% | 54.9% | 65.3% |
Health system indicators | ||||
 Doctors /10,000 people population ^ | 0.8 (2018) | 0.4 (2018) | 0.1 (2016) | 1.7 (2017) |
 Nursing cadres /10,000 people population^ | 3.9 (2018) | 4.3 (2018) | 5.8 (2017) | 12.4 (2018) |
 Predominant midwifery provider [21] | Midwife | Nurse-midwife | Nurse-midwife | Midwife |
 Hospital beds / 10,000 people population^ | 5 (2010) | 13 (2011) | 7 (2010) | 5 (2010) |
 Current health expenditure per capita (USD PPP, 2018)^ | 83.2 | 119.5 | 112.5 | 139.3 |
 Out-of-pocket expenditure as % of current health expenditure (201^ | 45 | 11 | 24 | 38 |
 User fees for childbirth (vaginal/caesarean)^ | Official fees | No official | No official | No official |