Liver cancer death rate in South Africa
South Africa: Liver cancer death rate was 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
3.63 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 14.6%
World rank
73rd
of 110 countries
All-time high
6.18 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1996
All-time low
3.63 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
25
1996–2020
Liver cancer death rate in South Africa, 1996–2020
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2020, liver cancer death rate in South Africa stood at 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.6% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liver cancer death rate in South Africa peaked at 6.18 deaths per 100,000 people in 1996 and was at its lowest, 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2020.
That places South Africa 73rd out of 110 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Liver cancer death rate in South Africa, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 6.18 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1997 | 5.97 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1998 | 5.95 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 5.95 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6.16 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 5.78 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 5.63 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 5.34 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 5.61 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 5.28 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 5.22 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 4.84 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 4.64 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 4.73 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 4.44 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 4.63 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 4.28 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 4.16 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 4.71 deaths per 100,000 people | +13.3% |
| 2016 | 4.39 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 4.26 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 4.24 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.25 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.01 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.95 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.18 deaths per 100,000 people | 4 |
| 2000s | 5.43 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.64 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.16 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.41 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.16 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.73 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 70 Cyprus 3.78 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 71 Panama 3.67 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 72 Switzerland 3.64 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 74 Czechia 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 75 Azerbaijan 3.6 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 76 Sri Lanka 3.49 deaths per 100,000 people compare
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0081 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 2.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0035 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 5,666 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0.0001 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is liver cancer death rate in South Africa?
- Liver cancer death rate in South Africa was 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liver cancer death rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.18 deaths per 100,000 people in 1996.
- What is the lowest liver cancer death rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for liver cancer death rate?
- South Africa ranks 73rd out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
- Is liver cancer death rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Liver cancer death rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Reported deaths from liver cancer in both sexes in those aged all ages per 100,000 people.