Namibia has Lowest Infant Mortality. 21/10/10
Infant mortality rates, the number of babies that die in the first year of life, are lower in Botswana and Namibia than they are in SA.
21 October 2010
Infant mortality rates, the number of babies that die in the first year of life, are lower in Botswana and Namibia than they are in SA.
According to the United Nations (UN’s) Population Fund’s State of World Population 2010 report, released yesterday , infant mortality in SA is 43 per 1000 live births.
The rates in Botswana and Namibia are 32 and 30.
Other southern African countries have higher rates of infant deaths: 65 per 1000 live births in Lesotho; 83 in Mozambique; 59 in Swaziland; and 51 in Zimbabwe.
The UN report also shows that life expectancy is considerably higher, for both men and women, in Botswana and Namibia than in SA.
Life expectancy in Namibia is 61,2 and 62,7 years, for men and women respectively. In Botswana, the figures are 55,7 and 55 years, and in SA 50,6 and 53,2 years. The report also says that in sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Africa region has by far the lowest adolescent birth rate — 61 per 1000 girls — and the highest contraceptive prevalence .
“In contrast, the rest of the sub- regions in sub-Saharan Africa (including eastern, middle and western Africa) have adolescent birth rates well over 100 per 1000 girls, and contraceptive prevalence rates at 26% or less.”