Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa

South Africa: Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who was 2,033 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
2,033
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
19th
of 194 countries
All-time high
2,033
in 2021
All-time low
1,015
in 2001
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa, 2000–2021

05001.0k1.5k2.0k2000201020212000: 1.0k2001: 1.0k2002: 1.2k2003: 1.2k2004: 1.2k2005: 1.1k2006: 1.2k2007: 1.2k2008: 1.3k2009: 1.3k2010: 1.7k2011: 1.6k2012: 1.7k2013: 1.7k2014: 1.8k2015: 1.8k2016: 1.8k2017: 1.7k2018: 1.8k2019: 1.8k2020: 2.0k2021: 2.0k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa is 2,033, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.

The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 26.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa peaked at 2,033 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,015, in 2001.

South Africa ranks 19th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa, 2000 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2000 1,022 —
2001 1,015 -0.7%
2002 1,160 +14.3%
2003 1,214 +4.6%
2004 1,189 -2.0%
2005 1,138 -4.2%
2006 1,175 +3.2%
2007 1,172 -0.2%
2008 1,316 +12.3%
2009 1,311 -0.4%
2010 1,680 +28.1%
2011 1,610 -4.1%
2012 1,661 +3.2%
2013 1,674 +0.7%
2014 1,775 +6.0%
2015 1,847 +4.1%
2016 1,813 -1.8%
2017 1,724 -4.9%
2018 1,776 +3.1%
2019 1,837 +3.4%
2020 2,001 +8.9%
2021 2,033 +1.6%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 2,033 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 211.2, 9.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 2,033 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 137.02, 14.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1,171 1,015 1,316 10
2010s 1,740 1,610 1,847 10
2020s 2,017 2,001 2,033 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 16 Belarus 2,426 compare
  2. 17 Thailand 2,287 compare
  3. 18 Vietnam 2,079 compare
  4. 20 Pakistan 1,983 compare
  5. 21 Australia 1,866 compare
  6. 22 Nigeria 1,779 compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa?
Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa was 2,033 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2,033 in 2021.
What is the lowest deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1,015 in 2001.
How does South Africa rank for deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who?
South Africa ranks 19th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
Is deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 26.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/deaths-from-mental-health-and-substance-use-disorders-who/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Deaths from mental health and substance use disorders who
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed