Avoidable mortality — Treatable mortality in South Africa

South Africa: Avoidable mortality — Treatable mortality was 101,981 Deaths in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
101,981 Deaths
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
4th
of 36 countries
All-time high
182,459 Deaths
in 2005
All-time low
96,984 Deaths
in 2019
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Avoidable mortality — Treatable mortality in South Africa, 2000–2020

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2000201020202000: 111.6k Deaths2001: 127.2k Deaths2002: 146.9k Deaths2003: 167.5k Deaths2004: 173.6k Deaths2005: 182.5k Deaths2006: 168.6k Deaths2007: 166.9k Deaths2008: 160.5k Deaths2009: 154.4k Deaths2010: 144.9k Deaths2011: 132.0k Deaths2012: 120.0k Deaths2013: 109.0k Deaths2014: 105.8k Deaths2015: 103.6k Deaths2016: 102.3k Deaths2017: 100.7k Deaths2018: 98.1k Deaths2019: 97.0k Deaths2020: 102.0k Deaths

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Deaths.

Analysis

In 2020, avoidable mortality — treatable mortality in South Africa stood at 101,981 Deaths.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and down 29.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, avoidable mortality — treatable mortality in South Africa peaked at 182,459 Deaths in 2005 and was at its lowest, 96,984 Deaths, in 2019.

That places South Africa 4th out of 36 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 155,974 Deaths 111,647 Deaths 182,459 Deaths 10
2010s 111,330 Deaths 96,984 Deaths 144,908 Deaths 10
2020s 101,981 Deaths 101,981 Deaths 101,981 Deaths 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 1 United States of America 327,378 Deaths compare
  2. 2 Brazil 254,449 Deaths compare
  3. 3 Mexico 161,950 Deaths compare
  4. 5 Thailand 96,782 Deaths compare
  5. 6 Japan 79,649 Deaths compare
  6. 7 Germany 64,570 Deaths compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is avoidable mortality — treatable mortality in South Africa?
Avoidable mortality — treatable mortality in South Africa was 101,981 Deaths in 2020, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest avoidable mortality — treatable mortality recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 182,459 Deaths in 2005.
What is the lowest avoidable mortality — treatable mortality recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 96,984 Deaths in 2019.
How does South Africa rank for avoidable mortality — treatable mortality?
South Africa ranks 4th out of 36 countries with data for 2020.
Is avoidable mortality — treatable mortality rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Avoidable mortality — Treatable mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Avoidable mortality — Treatable mortality in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/avoidable-mortality-treatable-mortality/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/avoidable-mortality-treatable-mortality/south-africa/">Avoidable mortality — Treatable mortality in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Avoidable mortality — Treatable mortality
Unit
Deaths
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
46 places, 1,048 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

This dataset presents data on preventable, treatable and avoidable (preventable + treatable) causes of mortality. Preventable and treatable causes of mortality are defined as follows: - Preventable mortality: Causes of death that can be mainly avoided through effective public health and primary prevention interventions (i.e. before the onset of diseases/injuries, to reduce incidence). - Treatable (or amenable) mortality: Causes of death that can be mainly avoided through timely and effective healthcare interventions, including secondary prevention such as screening, and treatment (i.e. after the onset of diseases, to reduce case-fatality). Both indicators refer to premature mortality (under age 75). Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.