Objective To investigate the status quo of subjective well-being (SWB) among pregnant women in Yunnan border areas, compare their differences and analyze the factors associated with SWB, so as to provide theoretical support for further intervention.

Methods A self-designed questionnaire and Global Well-being Scale (GWB) were used to investigate the demographic sociological characteristics and SWB among Chinese and foreign pregnant women living in the border areas of Yunnan Province. Their general demographic characteristics were described. Their overall well-being and scores of each dimension were compared between groups, and factors associated with SWB among them were analyzed through multiple linear regression.

Results A total of 360 border pregnanct women were recruited, including 184 foreigners (51.10%) and 176 Chinese women (48.90%). The average SWB score of them (83.54 ± 9.87) was higher than that of the national female norm (71.00 ± 18.00) (P < 0.05). The score of foreigners’ SWB (84.52 ± 9.35) was slightly higher than that of Chinese (82.51 ± 10.32), but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The average SWB score of Vietnamese (87.30 ± 9.50) was higher than that of Burmese (82.18 ± 8.69) and Laos women (83.98 ± 9.23) (P < 0.05), and there was no difference between Burmese and Laos women. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that he scores of maternal SWB of those with junior high school education or above were higher than those of those with primary school education or below (b = − 3.57, t = − 3.45, P = 0.001), and those with pre-pregnancy eugenetic examination were higher than those without (b = − 3.04, t = − 2.93, P = 0.004). The scores of maternal SWB with village cadres concerned about their health were higher than those without (b = − 3.20, t = − 2.81, P = 0.005).

Conclusion The border pregnant women have higher level of SWB, and there is no difference between foreigners and Chinese, while Vietnamese have higher level of SWB than Burmese and Laos women. Strengthening community maternal and child health care, mobilizing social members including village officers’ participation, exploring individualized service models appropriate for border pregnant women, and improving their utilization of pre-pregnancy health examination services can improve their SWB.