Deaths from road injuries in South Africa
South Africa: Deaths from road injuries was 14,528 in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
14,528
Change on year
up 25.5%
World rank
17th
of 194 countries
All-time high
20,616
in 2006
All-time low
11,574
in 2020
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Deaths from road injuries in South Africa, 2000–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 14,528 for deaths from road injuries in 2021.
That represents a change of up 25.5% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deaths from road injuries in South Africa peaked at 20,616 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 11,574, in 2020.
That places South Africa 17th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Deaths from road injuries in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17,003 | — |
| 2001 | 16,459 | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 18,532 | +12.6% |
| 2003 | 19,166 | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 19,590 | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 19,014 | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 20,616 | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 17,351 | -15.8% |
| 2008 | 16,875 | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 16,499 | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 16,248 | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 16,206 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 15,671 | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 16,037 | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 14,714 | -8.2% |
| 2015 | 14,995 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 16,300 | +8.7% |
| 2017 | 16,276 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 14,968 | -8.0% |
| 2019 | 14,484 | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 11,574 | -20.1% |
| 2021 | 14,528 | +25.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 14,528 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 575.71, 25.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 14,528 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,048, 4.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18,110 | 16,459 | 20,616 | 10 |
| 2010s | 15,590 | 14,484 | 16,300 | 10 |
| 2020s | 13,051 | 11,574 | 14,528 | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.046 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deaths from road injuries in South Africa?
- Deaths from road injuries in South Africa was 14,528 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deaths from road injuries recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 20,616 in 2006.
- What is the lowest deaths from road injuries recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,574 in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for deaths from road injuries?
- South Africa ranks 17th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is deaths from road injuries rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths from road injuries. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).