South Africa sits in Sub-Saharan Africa. A newborn there can expect about 66.3 years of life, 181st of 212 countries with data. Below, every mortality measure the National Death Index tracks for South Africa, each with its global rank and source year.
17 measures · sources: World Bank Open Data and WHO Global Health Observatory (Global Health Estimates 2021) · latest available year per figure
| Measure | Value | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 66.3 yrs | 181 of 212 | 2024 |
| Age-standardized death rate | 14.5 /1,000 | 13 of 182 | 2021 |
| Crude death rate | 9.2 /1,000 | 55 of 212 | 2024 |
| Life expectancy at 60 | 15.3 yrs | 163 of 182 | 2021 |
| Male mortality penalty | 120 /1,000 | 19 of 212 | 2024 |
| Life-expectancy gap (F−M) | 7.0 yrs | 33 of 212 | 2024 |
| Old-age sex ratio (65+) | 63.0 men/100 women | 20 of 212 | 2024 |
| Infant mortality | 24.2 /1,000 | 56 of 192 | 2024 |
| Maternal mortality | 118 /100k | 59 of 191 | 2023 |
| Premature NCD mortality | 22.7 % | 51 of 182 | 2021 |
| Suicide rate | 22.3 /100k | 6 of 182 | 2021 |
| Road-traffic deaths | 22.2 /100k | 56 of 187 | 2019 |
| Adult obesity | 28.4 % | 26 of 143 | 2002 |
| Recorded alcohol per adult | 7.1 L | 59 of 185 | 2020 |
| Population aged 65+ | 6.7 % | 123 of 212 | 2024 |
| Health spending per capita | $537 | 85 of 191 | 2023 |
| GDP per capita | $6,267 | 128 of 212 | 2024 |
Measured against the rest of the world, South Africa's sharpest departures from the middle of the pack are the 6th highest suicide rate in the world (22.3 /100k) and the 13th highest age-standardized death rate in the world (14.5 /1,000). Every figure above is the most recent the source reports for South Africa; the year sits beside each one, and rankings cover only countries with data for that measure.