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Reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa

South Africa: Reported suicide rates among young women was 0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population
Change on year
down 17.6%
World rank
83rd
of 110 countries
All-time high
1.44 deaths per 100,000 population
in 2014
All-time low
0.1236 deaths per 100,000 population
in 1999
Years of data
25
1996–2020

Reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa, 1996–2020

00.511.51996200820201996: 0.318 deaths per 100,000 population1997: 0.132 deaths per 100,000 population1998: 0.509 deaths per 100,000 population1999: 0.124 deaths per 100,000 population2000: 0.402 deaths per 100,000 population2001: 0.512 deaths per 100,000 population2002: 0.503 deaths per 100,000 population2003: 0.496 deaths per 100,000 population2004: 0.757 deaths per 100,000 population2005: 0.755 deaths per 100,000 population2006: 0.454 deaths per 100,000 population2007: 1 deaths per 100,000 population2008: 1 deaths per 100,000 population2009: 0.823 deaths per 100,000 population2010: 0.675 deaths per 100,000 population2011: 0.844 deaths per 100,000 population2012: 1.2 deaths per 100,000 population2013: 0.737 deaths per 100,000 population2014: 1.4 deaths per 100,000 population2015: 0.955 deaths per 100,000 population2016: 0.833 deaths per 100,000 population2017: 0.834 deaths per 100,000 population2018: 0.708 deaths per 100,000 population2019: 0.497 deaths per 100,000 population2020: 0.41 deaths per 100,000 population

Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 population.

Analysis

In 2020, reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa stood at 0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population.

The figure is down 17.6% on the previous year and down 39.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa peaked at 1.44 deaths per 100,000 population in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.1236 deaths per 100,000 population, in 1999.

That places South Africa 83rd 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.

Reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 population Change
1996 0.3181 deaths per 100,000 population —
1997 0.1317 deaths per 100,000 population -58.6%
1998 0.5094 deaths per 100,000 population +286.8%
1999 0.1236 deaths per 100,000 population -75.7%
2000 0.4023 deaths per 100,000 population +225.4%
2001 0.5119 deaths per 100,000 population +27.3%
2002 0.5029 deaths per 100,000 population -1.8%
2003 0.4961 deaths per 100,000 population -1.4%
2004 0.7567 deaths per 100,000 population +52.5%
2005 0.7546 deaths per 100,000 population -0.3%
2006 0.4537 deaths per 100,000 population -39.9%
2007 1.03 deaths per 100,000 population +126.9%
2008 1.01 deaths per 100,000 population -1.9%
2009 0.8226 deaths per 100,000 population -18.6%
2010 0.6746 deaths per 100,000 population -18.0%
2011 0.8442 deaths per 100,000 population +25.1%
2012 1.18 deaths per 100,000 population +39.5%
2013 0.7375 deaths per 100,000 population -37.4%
2014 1.44 deaths per 100,000 population +95.9%
2015 0.9549 deaths per 100,000 population -33.9%
2016 0.8327 deaths per 100,000 population -12.8%
2017 0.8339 deaths per 100,000 population +0.2%
2018 0.7082 deaths per 100,000 population -15.1%
2019 0.4971 deaths per 100,000 population -29.8%
2020 0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population -17.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.2707 deaths per 100,000 population 0.1236 deaths per 100,000 population 0.5094 deaths per 100,000 population 4
2000s 0.6741 deaths per 100,000 population 0.4023 deaths per 100,000 population 1.03 deaths per 100,000 population 10
2010s 0.8706 deaths per 100,000 population 0.4971 deaths per 100,000 population 1.44 deaths per 100,000 population 10
2020s 0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population 0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population 0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population 1

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 80 Kuwait 0.8069 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  2. 81 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.7965 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  3. 82 Azerbaijan 0.6636 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  4. 84 Greece 0.3895 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  5. 85 Egypt 0.2148 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  6. 86 Antigua and Barbuda 0 deaths per 100,000 population
  7. 86 Bahamas 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  8. 86 Bahrain 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  9. 86 Barbados 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  10. 86 Belize 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  11. 86 Brunei Darussalam 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  12. 86 Bulgaria 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  13. 86 Cyprus 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  14. 86 Grenada 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  15. 86 Guadeloupe 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  16. 86 Jamaica 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  17. 86 Jordan 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  18. 86 Latvia 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  19. 86 Luxembourg 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  20. 86 Malaysia 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  21. 86 Maldives 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  22. 86 Malta 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  23. 86 Mayotte 0 deaths per 100,000 population
  24. 86 Montenegro 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  25. 86 North Macedonia 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  26. 86 Oman 0 deaths per 100,000 population
  27. 86 Puerto Rico 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  28. 86 Saint Lucia 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare
  29. 86 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 deaths per 100,000 population
  30. 86 Syrian Arab Republic 0 deaths per 100,000 population compare

See the full ranking of 110 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa?
Reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa was 0.4097 deaths per 100,000 population in 2020, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest reported suicide rates among young women recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.44 deaths per 100,000 population in 2014.
What is the lowest reported suicide rates among young women recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.1236 deaths per 100,000 population in 1999.
How does South Africa rank for reported suicide rates among young women?
South Africa ranks 83rd out of 110 countries with data for 2020.
Is reported suicide rates among young women rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Reported suicide rates among young women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Reported suicide rates among young women in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/suicide-rates-among-young-women-who-mdb/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Reported suicide rates among young women
Unit
deaths per 100,000 population
Source
WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
110 places, 4,766 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Reported annual death rate from self-inflicted injuries per 100,000 people, based on the underlying cause listed on death certificates.