zaf-statssa-mcd-2021-2022-v1
Mortality and Causes of Death 2021-2022
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| South Africa | zaf |
Mortality and Causes of Death
This cumulative dataset contains statistics on mortality and causes of death in South Africa covering the period 2021-2022. The mortality and causes of death dataset is part of a regular series published by Stats SA, based on data collected through the civil registration system. The Recorded Deaths 1996 dataset, and the Mortality and Causes of Death 1999-2020 datsets are available separately. The main objective of this dataset is to outline emerging trends and differentials in mortality by selected socio-demographic and geographic characteristics for deaths that occurred in the registered year and over time. Reliable mortality statistics are the cornerstone of national health information systems, and are necessary for population health assessment, health policy and service planning, and programme evaluation. They are essential for studying the occurrence and distribution of health-related events, their determinants and management of related health problems. These data are particularly critical for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063, which share the same goal for a high standard of living and quality of life, sound health and well-being for all and at all ages. Mortality statistics are also required for assessing the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), emerging infectious diseases, injuries and natural disasters.
Administrative records
Individuals
Version 1: Edited, anonymised data for public distribution
2025
The registration of deaths is governed by the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 (Act No. 51 of 1992 as amended), and is administered by the Department of Home Affairs. After a death is registered, the Department of Home Affairs issues a death certificate and, where applicable, updates the population register. The forms are then collected by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) for processing.
| Topic |
|---|
| Mortality |
| Causes of death |
The data has national coverage
This dataset is based on information on mortality and causes of death from the South African civil registration system. It covers all death notification forms from the Department of Home Affairs for deaths that occurred in 2021-2022 that reached Stats SA during the 2024/2025 processing phase
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Statistics South Africa | Government of South Africa |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Home Affairs | Government of South Africa | Registering deaths |
The registration of deaths is captured using two instruments: form BI-1663 and form DHA-1663: Notification/Register of death/stillbirth
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 |
Trend study [trend study]
| Start date | End date |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 |
| Name | Affiliation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Home Affairs | Government of South Arica | DHA |
The data is collected and distributed under the Civil Registrations Act and the Statistics Act of South Africa.
The 2021 dataset excludes deaths that might not have been registered in 2021 and deaths that have been registered but have not reached Stats SA during the 2023/2024 processing phase. In addition, the 2022 dataset excludes deaths that might not have been registered in 2022 and deaths that have been registered but have not reached Stats SA during the 2024/2025 processing phase.
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics South Africa | StatsSA | Government of South Africa |
2025
| Organization name | Affiliation | URL |
|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | https://www.datafirst.uct.ac.za/ |
2025
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst Support | University of Cape Town | support.data1st.org | support@data1st.org |
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial CC-BY-NC access and use license
Statistics South Africa. Mortality and Causes of Death 2021-2022 [dataset]. Version 1. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa [producer], 2025. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/DBKY-Y636
Users of the data must send DataFirst a copy of or link to any publication based on the data
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst Helpdesk | University of Cape Town | support@data1st.org | support.data1st.org |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | Metadata Record Producer |
2025-11-13
V1