South Africa is facing a growing crisis of chronic diseases, with diabetes emerging as the country’s leading cause of death in 2024, claiming more lives than any other single condition.
New data from Stats SA’s Mortality Report reveals that diabetes accounted for 6,1% of all registered deaths in 2024, surpassing both hypertensive diseases at 5,5% and cerebrovascular diseases at 5,4%. The statistics paint a stark picture of a nation battling multiple health challenges simultaneously.
In 2024, authorities registered 474 366 individual deaths, with chronic diseases accounting for more than 60% of all fatalities – the highest proportion since records began in 1997.
Chronic diseases dominate mortality landscape
Non-communicable diseases, commonly known as chronic diseases, have dominated South Africa’s mortality profile since 2010. This followed a period from 2002 to 2010 when communicable diseases, primarily HIV-related deaths, led the statistics.
The shift back to chronic diseases reflects changing health patterns in the country. Cardiovascular diseases collectively remain the largest contributor to mortality, accounting for an average of 17,9% of all deaths over the past decade. In 2024, this figure stood at 17,8%.
Heart disease shows distinct age and gender patterns
The data reveals significant differences in how cardiovascular diseases affect men and women across different age groups. Male mortality from these conditions accelerates sharply from age 40, peaking among those aged 65 to 69 years with 5 176 deaths recorded in 2024. After age 70, male deaths decline steadily, dropping to 3 298 among those aged 80 to 84.
Female deaths follow a different pattern. Women consistently show lower mortality rates than men until the 65 to 69 age group, which recorded 5 015 deaths. However, from age 70 onwards, female deaths surpass male figures, peaking at 5 903 deaths among those aged 80 to 84 and remaining high even beyond age 90.
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Regional variations in disease burden
Provincial data shows clear geographical patterns in cardiovascular mortality. Hypertensive diseases lead as the primary cause of death in six provinces, excluding the coastal provinces. In contrast, cerebrovascular diseases claim more lives in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The age distribution of these conditions has remained relatively stable over the past decade. In 2024, hypertensive diseases ranked as the fourth leading cause of death among men, accounting for 4,1% of male deaths, with the highest proportion occurring among those aged 70 to 74 at 15,3%. Among women, the condition ranked second overall, accounting for 7,1% of deaths.
Cerebrovascular diseases, which include stroke, show similar patterns. Among men, these conditions ranked as the second leading cause of death in 2024, accounting for 4,5% of male deaths. Among women, they ranked third at 6,4% of all female deaths.
The concentration of deaths among older age groups highlights the long-term impact of chronic conditions and the importance of early intervention and lifestyle changes to reduce risk factors throughout life.
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