BACKGROUND: Zinc is required for normal development and growth. There is paucity of information as to the normal maternal zinc levels for women in the developing countries and no consensus in the literature on the effects of suboptimal maternal zinc levels in our environment. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to determine the level of zinc deficiency in pregnancy, while the secondary objectives attempted to define maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with suboptimal zinc. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted at the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. The study was an analytical cross sectional study of all consecutive patients who presented in labour or had elective caesarean section during the study period. Batch analysis of serum zinc levels was done at the end of the recruitment. Serum zinc was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The subjects were divided into two groups at the end of the collation and batch analysis. The study thus comprised: Group A: Normal serum zinc level and Group B: Low serum zinc levels. The lower cut off of normal serum zinc level in pregnancy was taken as 50g/dl, as derived from a large population survey in the United States of America. Information on sociodemographic characteristics and pregnancy outcomes were extracted and used to generate a data base for analysis. Analysis was done using the SPSS for Windows version 20.0. ii Categorical variables were expressed as absolute numbers and percentages. Binary logistic regression was conducted to determine associations and the contribution of cofounders, expressed as relative risks and confidence interval.