Mortality indicators are sometimes used for comparing the health status of different populations. A vital registration system is one of the sources of data for computing such measures. However, the trend in the officially published absolute numbers of deaths in South Africa post 2006 is odd and raises doubt about the integrity of the officially published figures. This study, therefore evaluated the integrity of the officially published numbers of deaths from South Africa’s vital registration system. The results suggest that at least about 135,659 deaths that were probably reported by the deceased’s relatives in 2017 were not included in the officially published figures at national level for the year 2017.
Author: Eric O. Udjo 2022
