Every year, some eight million women around the world suffer pregnancy-related complications; over half a million of these women die. Although most of these deaths could be averted at little or no extra cost, even where resources are limited, if we are to take action and develop and implement changes to maternity services to save the lives of mothers and newborns, we need the right kind of information. This more in-depth information might not be available through national statistics on maternal mortality rates or death certificate data; what is required is a detailed understanding of the clinical, social, cultural and other underlying factors that result in a mother's death. The World Health Organization's programme and philosophy for such maternal death or disability reviews is called Beyond the numbers. It outlines the five key methodologies for reviewing maternal deaths or disabilities that are now being introduced in a number of countries around the world.