5 December 2016 Last updated at 01:04 GMT
There has been little improvement in the maternal mortality rate over the past few decades and according to Unicef, 732 mothers die for every 100,000 live births.
In one hospital in the capital, Mogadishu, a group of young female surgeons are fighting to save one mother at a time.
The hospital lacks basic resources and staff have not received salaries since April but they are still determined to do what they can to save Somalia's mothers.
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Childbirth is the leading cause of death for women in the war-torn nation of Somalia.