The Rough Death Trends of South African Elders: 2006-2016

Lutendo Malisha, Statistics South Africa

In South Africa, the elderly population has also been reported to be growing since 2017 reaching 8.1% in 2017 (STATSSA, 2017). This increase could be a positive sign that South African elders may be dying at a less rate. However, this also means the South African government should have better strategies in considering the elder on issues of health, safety, welfare and other socio-economic issues. An administrative data from Statistics South Africa on causes of death was utilised. Age-adjusted standardized mortality rates (AASMR) were computed to aid comparison of mortality risks of the elders over time (2006-2016). In addition the logistic regression was utilised to investigate the risk factors associated with violent death amongst elders in South Africa.