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Recorded Live Births 1998-2023

South Africa, 1998 - 2023
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Reference ID
zaf-statssa-rlb-1998-2023-v1
Producer(s)
Statistics South Africa, Department of Home Affairs
Collections
Statistics South Africa
Metadata
Documentation in PDF DDI/XML JSON
Created on
Sep 30, 2015
Last modified
Sep 16, 2024
Page views
1137937
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1125889
  • Identification
  • Version
  • Scope
  • Coverage
  • Producers and sponsors
  • survey_instrument
  • Data Collection
  • Data appraisal
  • Data Access
  • Metadata production

    • Identification

    Survey ID number

    zaf-statssa-rlb-1998-2023-v1
    Title

    Recorded Live Births 1998-2023
    Country
    Name Country code
    South Africa zaf
    Study type

    Socio-Economic/Monitoring Survey
    Abstract

    The Recorded Live Births (RLB) dataset provides information on all registered live births in South Africa. The RLB dataset is part of a regular series of cumulative releases that is published by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and based on data collected through the civil registration system. RLB 1998-2023 is the latest release in the series, which replaces and includes the data of the previous release (i.e. RLB 1998-2023 includes the data from RLB 1998-2022). The main objective of this dataset is to outline emerging trends and differentials in birth occurrence and registration, by selected socio-demographic and geographic characteristics, in South Africa over time. Reliable birth statistics are necessary for population health assessment, health policy, service planning and programme evaluation. These data are particularly critical for planning, implementing and monitoring development policies and programmes such as the National Development Plan (NDP) in South Africa, Agenda 2063 at regional level and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at international level.
    Kind of Data

    Administrative records
    Unit of Analysis

    Individuals

    Version

    Version Description

    v1: Edited, anonymised dataset for public distribution
    Version Date

    2024
    Version Notes

    Version 1 was downloaded by DataFirst from the Statistics South Africa website on 16 September 2024

    Scope

    Notes

    This dataset contains statistics on births that occured in South Africa over the period 1998-2023 and were registered by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The dataset includes other socio-demographic and geographic characteristics including age of mother and father, sex of child and province of birth.

    Coverage

    Geographic Coverage

    This dataset has national coverage.
    Geographic Unit

    The lowest level of geographic aggregation covered by the data is magisterial district using the 2016 municipal demarcations.
    Universe

    This dataset is based on information on birth occurences from the South African civil registration system. It covers all birth notification forms from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for births that occurred from 1998-2023 and that were registered between January 2023 and February 2024. The dataset excludes all births that occurred in South Africa but where the parents were non-South African citizens or not permanent residents.

    Producers and sponsors

    Primary investigators
    Name Affiliation
    Statistics South Africa Government of South Africa
    Department of Home Affairs Government of South Africa

    survey_instrument

    Questionnaires

    The form used to record live births is the Notice of Birth form of the Department of Home Affairs (Form DHA-24). Previously there were three forms used:

    Form BI-24 (for births registered within the first year)
    Form BI-24/1 (for births registered between a year and 14 years)
    Form BI-24/15 (for births registered after 15 years or more)

    Data Collection

    Dates of Data Collection
    Start End
    1998-01 2023-02
    Mode of data collection
    • Other
    Data Collectors
    Name Affiliation
    Department of Home Affairs Government of South Africa
    Data Collection Notes

    The registration of births 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 birth is registered, the Department of Home Affairs issues a birth certificate and, where applicable, updates the population register. The forms are then collected by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) for processing.

    Data appraisal

    Data Appraisal

    The Statistics South Africa metadata document mentions two birth forms, however this seems incorrect. There is only one form used, the DHA-24.

    Data Access

    Access authority
    Name Affiliation URL Email
    DataFirst University of Cape Town http://support.data1st.org support@data1st.org
    Access conditions

    Public access data for use under a Creative Commons CC-BY (Attribution-only) License
    Citation requirements

    Statistics South Africa. Recorded Live Births 1998-2023 [dataset]. Version 1. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa [producer], 2024. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/0abm-d292

    Metadata production

    Producers
    Name Affiliation Role
    DataFirst University of Cape Town Metadata Producer
    Date of Metadata Production

    2024-09-17

    Metadata version

    DDI Document version

    Version 1
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