This systematic literature review on maternal near miss aims to evaluate data on the incidence and different operational definitions of near miss. An electronic search was performed in databases of scientific journals and also in the references of the identified studies. Initially, 1,247 studies were identified, 35 of which were comprehensively assessed, with 17 excluded and 18 included. Review of reference lists from these articles identified an additional 20 articles, thus completing 38 studies included: 20 adopting definitions of near miss related to management complexity, 6 to organ dysfunction, 2 with a mixed definition, and 10 according to symptoms, signs, or specific clinical entities. The mean near miss ratio was 8.2/1,000 live births, the maternal mortality index was 6.3%, and the case/fatality ratio was 16:1. The study concluded that there was a trend towards higher incidence of near miss in developing countries and when using near miss definitions by organ dysfunction. The study of near miss maternal morbidity can help improve obstetric care and support the struggle against maternal mortality.