Our staff is undertaking analysis for this metric. Please check back later.
Disclaimer / Limitations
This country’s legal measures were reviewed by our legal staff in consultation with in-country lawyers and/or CRVS legal experts. All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the legal analysis, however, if you consider there to be any discrepancies or if there have been changes in the law of the country since our staff last updated the legal analysis, we welcome any additional information or insights. Please contact us via this form.
Vital Statistics
South Africa
Responsive Image
South Africa
Vital Statistics
Compilation and Publication
Compilation and Publication
Geographical Coverage
Are vital statistics produced for the entire country?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Vital statistics should be compiled for the total geographical area of the country, for each major and minor civil division, and each principal town and city. Vital statistics should distinguish between urban and rural settings
at least for the country as a whole and for each major or other civil division.
In practice, vital statistics are produced for the entire country. Statistics South Africa publishes national vital statistics in the following annual releases: P0309.3 (Mortality and Causes of Death), P0309.4 (Perinatal Deaths in South Africa), and P0305 (Recorded Live Births). These publications are nationwide in coverage.
The Statistics Act does not contain an explicit provision on the geographic scope of vital statistics production. No provision in any instrument reviewed specifies that vital statistics must cover the entire country or be disaggregated by urban/rural, province, or civil division.
Law Source
Central Compilation
Are vital statistics compiled centrally?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
National vital statistics should be compiled uniformly for the country, using common definitions, classifications, coding, querying, data entry and editing procedures. Where they are compiled subnationally there should be uniform standards set.
Does the law require publication of vital statistics on a regular and timely basis?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Annual publication of vital statistics reports offer government agencies and other users a dependable source of vital statistics data. The law should therefore mandate that the statistics agency prepare and disseminate vital statistics reports and data at least annually.
The Statistics Act does not contain an explicit provision requiring Stats SA to publish vital statistics annually or at any specified interval. Section 5(3)(b) protects the Statistician-General's discretion over 'the form, extent and timing of the release of statistical information', which presupposes that releases will occur but does not mandate their frequency.
In practice, Stats SA publishes annual vital statistics releases (P0309.3, P0309.4, P0305), but this practice is not underpinned by a statutory publication requirement.
