Objective To analyze the disease characteristics and hospitalization expenses of critically ill maternal patients in intensive care unit（ICU）．Methods Hospitalized cases of severe maternal disease in ICU of a provincial critical care center in Guangzhou from 2009 to 2019 were searched from the hospital information management system,and case data was analyzed by descriptive epidemiology．Results From 2009 to 2019,a total of 1616 critically ill maternal patients received intensive care treatment at this center．The predominant diseases observed were cardiovascular disorders（26.61%）,blood and hematopoietic organ diseases（19.18%）,specific pregnancy-related complications（17.76%）,gastrointestinal ailments（13.49%）,and respiratory disorders（6.81%）．Among the top five patient groups,the median economic burden was the highest in musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases（62 252.600 yuan）,followed by digestive system diseases（61 684.410 yuan）,infectious diseases（42 945.700 yuan）,blood and hematopoietic organ diseases（40 403.515 yuan）,and nervous system disorders（40 055.930 yuan）．Furthermore,a discernible correlation between hospitalization cost and length of stay was identified．Conclusions Cardiovascular diseases and disorders of blood and hematopoietic organs are the primary causes for maternal admissions to ICU．Economic analysis shows that musculoskeletal system and connective tissues diseases cause bigger economic loss ．