The occurrence of a high number of fetal deaths is present throughout the world. It is estimated that more than 2 million fetal deaths occur each year on the globe, where 98% predominate in developing countries. This research aimed to carry out the survey of the fetal deaths number in Maranhão state, as a way to bring contributions to theprevention and health care actions. Data from DATASUS were used for the survey of fetal deaths occurring in the 217 municipalities in Maranhão state in the years 2000, 2010 and 2014, as well as the fetal mortality rate. The program SURFER® version 11.0 were usedfor descriptive statistics analysis and construction of the mean distribution map of cases. The fetal mortality rate in Maranhão has increased over the years, not following the national trend of reduction of intrauterine mortality rates, being required greater investment in public policies to analyze the main risk factors in the state.Key words: fetal death, public health, fetal mortality rate.

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