Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and was 54.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2021
Source: Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of total.
Analysis
In 2021, cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 54.7%.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 73.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 54.6%, in 2020.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 73.0% | — |
| 2010 | 65.2% | -10.7% |
| 2015 | 59.6% | -8.5% |
| 2019 | 55.2% | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 54.6% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 54.7% | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 73.0% | 73.0% | 73.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 60.0% | 55.2% | 65.2% | 3 |
| 2020s | 54.6% | 54.6% | 54.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.4038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.2837 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per capita 0.2801 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in Sub-Saharan Africa was 54.7% in 2021, according to Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 73.0% in 2000.
- What is the lowest cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.6% in 2020.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2021.
- Is cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions include infectious and parasitic diseases, respiratory infections, and nutritional deficiencies such as underweight and stunting.