Death rate, crude in South Africa

South Africa: Death rate, crude was 9.24 per 1,000 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
9.24 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
57th
of 218 countries
All-time high
14.2 per 1,000 people
in 1960
All-time low
8.23 per 1,000 people
in 1991
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Death rate, crude in South Africa, 1960–2024

051015196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for death rate, crude in South Africa is 9.24 per 1,000 people, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, death rate, crude in South Africa peaked at 14.2 per 1,000 people in 1960 and was at its lowest, 8.23 per 1,000 people, in 1991.

South Africa ranks 57th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Death rate, crude in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in South Africa, 1960 to 2024.
Year per 1,000 people Change
1960 14.2 per 1,000 people
1961 13.84 per 1,000 people -2.5%
1962 13.52 per 1,000 people -2.4%
1963 13.3 per 1,000 people -1.6%
1964 13.1 per 1,000 people -1.5%
1965 12.95 per 1,000 people -1.1%
1966 12.79 per 1,000 people -1.2%
1967 12.67 per 1,000 people -1.0%
1968 12.53 per 1,000 people -1.1%
1969 12.38 per 1,000 people -1.2%
1970 12.22 per 1,000 people -1.3%
1971 12.02 per 1,000 people -1.6%
1972 11.79 per 1,000 people -1.9%
1973 11.57 per 1,000 people -1.9%
1974 11.32 per 1,000 people -2.2%
1975 11.02 per 1,000 people -2.7%
1976 10.76 per 1,000 people -2.3%
1977 10.46 per 1,000 people -2.8%
1978 10.17 per 1,000 people -2.8%
1979 9.92 per 1,000 people -2.5%
1980 9.65 per 1,000 people -2.7%
1981 9.44 per 1,000 people -2.1%
1982 9.25 per 1,000 people -2.0%
1983 9.06 per 1,000 people -2.0%
1984 8.89 per 1,000 people -2.0%
1985 8.74 per 1,000 people -1.7%
1986 8.62 per 1,000 people -1.3%
1987 8.49 per 1,000 people -1.5%
1988 8.35 per 1,000 people -1.6%
1989 8.25 per 1,000 people -1.1%
1990 8.23 per 1,000 people -0.3%
1991 8.23 per 1,000 people -0.0%
1992 8.3 per 1,000 people +0.9%
1993 8.38 per 1,000 people +1.0%
1994 8.7 per 1,000 people +3.8%
1995 8.92 per 1,000 people +2.5%
1996 9.1 per 1,000 people +2.1%
1997 9.28 per 1,000 people +2.0%
1998 9.59 per 1,000 people +3.3%
1999 9.97 per 1,000 people +4.1%
2000 10.39 per 1,000 people +4.2%
2001 11.07 per 1,000 people +6.6%
2002 11.95 per 1,000 people +7.9%
2003 12.83 per 1,000 people +7.3%
2004 13.1 per 1,000 people +2.1%
2005 13.33 per 1,000 people +1.8%
2006 13.39 per 1,000 people +0.4%
2007 13.12 per 1,000 people -2.0%
2008 12.68 per 1,000 people -3.3%
2009 12.07 per 1,000 people -4.9%
2010 11.35 per 1,000 people -6.0%
2011 10.72 per 1,000 people -5.5%
2012 10.15 per 1,000 people -5.3%
2013 9.96 per 1,000 people -1.8%
2014 9.65 per 1,000 people -3.2%
2015 9.22 per 1,000 people -4.5%
2016 9.07 per 1,000 people -1.6%
2017 8.83 per 1,000 people -2.6%
2018 8.79 per 1,000 people -0.5%
2019 8.75 per 1,000 people -0.4%
2020 9.68 per 1,000 people +10.7%
2021 11.93 per 1,000 people +23.2%
2022 9.4 per 1,000 people -21.2%
2023 9.24 per 1,000 people -1.7%
2024 9.24 per 1,000 people -0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 13.13 per 1,000 people 12.38 per 1,000 people 14.2 per 1,000 people 10
1970s 11.12 per 1,000 people 9.92 per 1,000 people 12.22 per 1,000 people 10
1980s 8.87 per 1,000 people 8.25 per 1,000 people 9.65 per 1,000 people 10
1990s 8.87 per 1,000 people 8.23 per 1,000 people 9.97 per 1,000 people 10
2000s 12.4 per 1,000 people 10.39 per 1,000 people 13.39 per 1,000 people 10
2010s 9.65 per 1,000 people 8.75 per 1,000 people 11.35 per 1,000 people 10
2020s 9.9 per 1,000 people 9.24 per 1,000 people 11.93 per 1,000 people 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 54 Central African Republic 9.38 per 1,000 people compare
  2. 55 Greenland 9.3 per 1,000 people compare
  3. 56 Tuvalu 9.27 per 1,000 people compare
  4. 58 United States Virgin Islands 9.2 per 1,000 people compare
  5. 59 Myanmar 9.18 per 1,000 people compare
  6. 60 Thailand 9.03 per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 266 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is death rate, crude in South Africa?
Death rate, crude in South Africa was 9.24 per 1,000 people in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest death rate, crude recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 14.2 per 1,000 people in 1960.
What is the lowest death rate, crude recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 8.23 per 1,000 people in 1991.
How does South Africa rank for death rate, crude?
South Africa ranks 57th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
Is death rate, crude rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Death rate, crude in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/death-rate-crude-per-1-000-people/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people)
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
266 places, 17,260 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

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.