Suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa

South Africa: Suicide rates among young people who mdb was 0.4071 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.4071
Change on year
down 43.5%
World rank
88th
of 110 countries
All-time high
1.45
in 2014
All-time low
0.1963
in 1997
Years of data
25
1996–2020

Suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa, 1996–2020

00.511.51996200820201996: 0.3161997: 0.1961998: 0.5271999: 0.6762000: 0.442001: 0.862002: 0.712003: 0.6442004: 0.8632005: 0.9732006: 0.92007: 1.12008: 1.22009: 0.8552010: 0.632011: 0.9582012: 1.42013: 1.12014: 1.52015: 12016: 12017: 0.7042018: 0.7452019: 0.722020: 0.407

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa is 0.4071, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of down 43.5% on the previous year and down 35.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa peaked at 1.45 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.1963, in 1997.

That places South Africa 88th out of 110 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa, 1996 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1996 0.3162 —
1997 0.1963 -37.9%
1998 0.5272 +168.6%
1999 0.6756 +28.1%
2000 0.4396 -34.9%
2001 0.8604 +95.7%
2002 0.7105 -17.4%
2003 0.6437 -9.4%
2004 0.8631 +34.1%
2005 0.9727 +12.7%
2006 0.9 -7.5%
2007 1.08 +19.8%
2008 1.2 +11.2%
2009 0.8553 -28.6%
2010 0.6303 -26.3%
2011 0.9576 +51.9%
2012 1.39 +45.2%
2013 1.08 -22.5%
2014 1.45 +34.9%
2015 1.01 -30.6%
2016 1.01 +0.3%
2017 0.7038 -30.5%
2018 0.7448 +5.8%
2019 0.7203 -3.3%
2020 0.4071 -43.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.4071 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.05, 10% of the median. (42 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.4288 0.1963 0.6756 4
2000s 0.8522 0.4396 1.2 10
2010s 0.9699 0.6303 1.45 10
2020s 0.4071 0.4071 0.4071 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 85 Puerto Rico 1.47 compare
  2. 86 Bulgaria 1.3 compare
  3. 87 North Macedonia 0.9777 compare
  4. 89 Azerbaijan 0.3235 compare
  5. 90 Egypt 0.1855 compare
  6. 91 Syria 0.0904 compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa?
Suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa was 0.4071 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest suicide rates among young people who mdb recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.45 in 2014.
What is the lowest suicide rates among young people who mdb recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1963 in 1997.
How does South Africa rank for suicide rates among young people who mdb?
South Africa ranks 88th out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
Is suicide rates among young people who mdb rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 35.4%. 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 Suicide rates among young people who mdb. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Suicide rates among young people who mdb in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/suicide-rates-among-young-people-who-mdb/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Suicide rates among young people who mdb
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
110 places, 4,805 data points, 1950–2024
Last refreshed