Nigeria vs South Africa: Mortality rates at age 65
Nigeria
3.66 deaths per 1,000 people
in 2023
South Africa
3.79 deaths per 1,000 people
in 2023
Nigeria rank
19th
South Africa rank
16th
Mortality rates at age 65 over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 3.79 deaths per 1,000 people against 3.66 deaths per 1,000 people in Nigeria, a difference of 0.13 deaths per 1,000 people.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Nigeria ahead.
Nigeria ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.19 deaths per 1,000 people | 4.71 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.4829 deaths per 1,000 people | Nigeria |
| 1960s | 5.09 deaths per 1,000 people | 4.29 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.7969 deaths per 1,000 people | Nigeria |
| 1970s | 4.48 deaths per 1,000 people | 4.11 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.3756 deaths per 1,000 people | Nigeria |
| 1980s | 4.26 deaths per 1,000 people | 4 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.2612 deaths per 1,000 people | Nigeria |
| 1990s | 4.39 deaths per 1,000 people | 4.22 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.1692 deaths per 1,000 people | Nigeria |
| 2000s | 4.03 deaths per 1,000 people | 4.11 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.0799 deaths per 1,000 people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.83 deaths per 1,000 people | 4.05 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.223 deaths per 1,000 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.82 deaths per 1,000 people | 4.41 deaths per 1,000 people | 0.5891 deaths per 1,000 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mortality rates at age 65, Nigeria or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 3.79 deaths per 1,000 people against 3.66 deaths per 1,000 people in Nigeria as of 2023.
- What is the difference in mortality rates at age 65 between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 0.13 deaths per 1,000 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for mortality rates at age 65?
- Nigeria ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 16th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Mortality rates at age 65. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Death rate, calculated as the number of deaths divided by the average number of people alive during the interval.