In 2023, the average crude death rate in Africa was **** deaths per 1,000 people. The mortality rate on the continent has decreased gradually since the 2000s. In comparison, the death rate stood at roughly **** deaths per 1,000 population in 2000. Decreasing mortality, together with high fertility and rising life expectancy, is a key driver of Africa's population growth.

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 8.33 deaths per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 55.13 deaths per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Algeria: 4.6 deaths per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, the crude death rate in Africa was *** deaths per 1,000 people. Significant variations were observed between the continent's regions. Specifically, Western Africa registered the highest crude death rate, counting almost ** deaths per 1,000 inhabitants, while the lowest levels of mortality were recorded in Northern Africa.

In 2023, the number of deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa was ****. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by *****, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Historical dataset showing Africa death rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Actual value and historical data chart for South Africa Death Rate Crude Per 1 000 People

In 2025, the mortality rate among children under the age of one in Africa was around ** deaths per thousand live births. Infant mortality on the continent decreased significantly compared to 2000, when approximately ** newborn infants out of a thousand died before one year of age. Many African nations rank among the countries with the highest infant mortality rate worldwide.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SPDYNIMRTINSSA) from 1990 to 2023 about Sub-Saharan Africa, mortality, infant, and rate.

South Africa: Death rate, per 1000 people: The latest value from 2023 is 9.24 deaths per 1000 people, a decline from 9.4 deaths per 1000 people in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 7.70 deaths per 1000 people, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1960 to 2023 is 10.64 deaths per 1000 people. The minimum value, 8.23 deaths per 1000 people, was reached in 1990 while the maximum of 14.2 deaths per 1000 people was recorded in 1960.

This horizontal bar chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) by countries using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Africa. The data is about countries.

Historical dataset showing South Africa death rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

In 2022, the mortality rate in East Africa was highest in Somalia, with around 11 deaths per 1,000 population. Conversely, Uganda had the lowest rate, with approximately six deaths per 1,000 population.

This bar chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) by countries using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Africa. The data is about countries.

South Africa ZA: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 9.793 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10.102 Ratio for 2015. South Africa ZA: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 11.455 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.815 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 8.199 Ratio in 1991. South Africa ZA: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 7 deaths per 1000 births. The highest value was in Niger: 20 deaths per 1000 births and the lowest value was in Algeria: 1 deaths per 1000 births. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The child mortality rate in Africa has steadily declined over the past seven decades. In 2023, it reached 63 deaths per thousand births. In 1950, child mortality was significantly higher, estimated at 327 deaths per thousand births, meaning that almost one-third of all children born in these years did not make it to their fifth birthday. While the reduction rate varies on a country-by-country basis, the overall decline can be attributed in large part to the expansion of healthcare services, improvements in nutrition and access to clean drinking water, and the implementation of large-scale immunization campaigns across the continent. The temporary slowdown in the 1980s and 1990s has been attributed in part to rapid urbanization of many parts of the continent that coincided with poor economic performance, resulting in the creation of overcrowded slums with poor access to health and sanitation services. Despite significant improvements in the continent-wide averages, there remains a significant imbalance in the continent, with Sub-Saharan countries experiencing much higher child mortality rates than those in North Africa.

Abstract

This cumulative dataset contains statistics on mortality and causes of death in South Africa covering the period 1997-2017. The mortality and causes of death dataset is part of a regular series published by Stats SA, based on data collected through the civil registration system. This dataset is the most recent cumulative round in the series which began with the separately available dataset Recorded Deaths 1996.

The main objective of this dataset is to outline emerging trends and differentials in mortality by selected socio-demographic and geographic characteristics for deaths that occurred in the registered year and over time. Reliable mortality statistics, are the cornerstone of national health information systems, and are necessary for population health assessment, health policy and service planning; and programme evaluation. They are essential for studying the occurrence and distribution of health-related events, their determinants and management of related health problems. These data are particularly critical for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 which share the same goal for a high standard of living and quality of life, sound health and well-being for all and at all ages. Mortality statistics are also required for assessing the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCD's), emerging infectious diseases, injuries and natural disasters.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals

Universe

This dataset is based on information on mortality and causes of death from the South African civil registration system. It covers all death notification forms from the Department of Home Affairs for deaths that occurred in 1997-2017, that reached Stats SA during the 2018/2019 processing phase.

Kind of data

Administrative records data [adm]

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

Research instrument

The registration of deaths is captured using two instruments: form BI-1663 and form DHA-1663 (Notification/Register of death/stillbirth).

Data appraisal

This cumulative dataset is part of a regular series published by Stats SA and includes all previous rounds in the series (excluding Recorded Deaths 1996). Stats SA only includes one variable to classify the occupation group of the deceased (OccupationGrp) in the current round (1997-2017). Prior to 2016, Stats SA included both occupation group (OccupationGrp) and industry classification (Industry) in all previous rounds. Therefore, DataFirst has made the 1997-2015 cumulative round available as a separately downloadable dataset which includes both occupation group and industry classification of the deceased spanning the years 1997-2015.

Excess mortality rates for South Africa and other countries, including regional breakdowns and annual statistics as reported by the World Bank.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa (SPDYNIMRTINMEA) from 1990 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, mortality, infant, income, and rate.

BackgroundDespite the sharp decline in global under-5 deaths since 1990, uneven progress has been achieved across and within countries. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for child mortality were met only by a few countries. Valid concerns exist as to whether the region would meet new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for under-5 mortality. We therefore examine further sources of variation by assessing age patterns, trends, and forecasts of mortality rates.Methods and findingsData came from 106 nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) with full birth histories from 31 SSA countries from 1990 to 2017 (a total of 524 country-years of data). We assessed the distribution of age at death through the following new demographic analyses. First, we used a direct method and full birth histories to estimate under-5 mortality rates (U5MRs) on a monthly basis. Second, we smoothed raw estimates of death rates by age and time by using a two-dimensional P-Spline approach. Third, a variant of the Lee–Carter (LC) model, designed for populations with limited data, was used to fit and forecast age profiles of mortality. We used mortality estimates from the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) to adjust, validate, and minimize the risk of bias in survival, truncation, and recall in mortality estimation. Our mortality model revealed substantive declines of death rates at every age in most countries but with notable differences in the age patterns over time. U5MRs declined from 3.3% (annual rate of reduction [ARR] 0.1%) in Lesotho to 76.4% (ARR 5.2%) in Malawi, and the pace of decline was faster on average (ARR 3.2%) than that observed for infant (IMRs) (ARR 2.7%) and neonatal (NMRs) (ARR 2.0%) mortality rates. We predict that 5 countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda) are on track to achieve the under-5 sustainable development target by 2030 (25 deaths per 1,000 live births), but only Rwanda and Tanzania would meet both the neonatal (12 deaths per 1,000 live births) and under-5 targets simultaneously. Our predicted NMRs and U5MRs were in line with those estimated by the UN IGME by 2030 and 2050 (they overlapped in 27/31 countries for NMRs and 22 for U5MRs) and by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) by 2030 (26/31 and 23/31, respectively). This study has a number of limitations, including poor data quality issues that reflected bias in the report of births and deaths, preventing reliable estimates and predictions from a few countries.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this study is the first to combine full birth histories and mortality estimates from external reliable sources to model age patterns of under-5 mortality across time in SSA. We demonstrate that countries with a rapid pace of mortality reduction (ARR ≥ 3.2%) across ages would be more likely to achieve the SDG mortality targets. However, the lower pace of neonatal mortality reduction would prevent most countries from achieving those targets: 2 countries would reach them by 2030, 13 between 2030 and 2050, and 13 after 2050.