The level and trends of child mortality inSouth Africa, 1996-2006

Abstract

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT Abstract: The lack of reliable data for child mortality estimation since 1998 has meant that child mortality rates for South Africa have not been updated for almost ten years. This study makes use of the Community Survey data of 2007 and adaptation of the correction to the children ever born/children surviving method suggested by Ward and Zaba (2009) to estimate current rates of infant and child mortality and establishes trends in childhood mortality between 1996 and 2006. The study found that infant mortality rates have been almost constant at around 50 deaths per 1000 live births while under-five mortality rates are found to have increased from just below 70 deaths per 1000 live births in 1996 to around 75 deaths per 1000 live births in 2006