This SA province has the highest number of deaths from accidents and violence

New mortality figures from Statistics South Africa show significant differences between provinces when it comes to deaths caused by accidents, assault and other non-natural causes.

While natural causes account for the vast majority of deaths nationally, one particular SA province recorded the highest proportion of non-natural deaths in 2024.

The highest proportion of non-natural deaths

Stats SA’s Mortality and causes of death in South Africa, 2024 report found that 14.6% of deaths occurring in KwaZulu-Natal were due to non-natural causes.

This was the highest proportion among South Africa’s nine provinces. The Eastern Cape followed at 14.3%, while Gauteng recorded 14.2%.

At the other end of the scale, Limpopo had the lowest proportion, at 9.7%.

Stats SA also noted that KwaZulu-Natal has consistently recorded the highest proportion of non-natural deaths in previous years.

Non-natural deaths include a broad range of causes, including accidental injuries, transport accidents, assault, intentional self-harm and complications of medical and surgical care.

Accidental injuries dominate

Across every SA province, the largest category of non-natural deaths was other external causes of accidental injury.

Nationally, this category accounted for 47 098 deaths in 2024, representing 74.9% of all non-natural deaths.

These deaths include a wide range of accidental injuries. Stats SA’s breakdown shows that accidental exposure to other and unspecified factors accounted for 44.1% of deaths in this category, followed by exposure to inanimate mechanical forces at 26.3%.

Other accidental threats to breathing, exposure to smoke, fire and flames, accidental poisoning and accidental drowning also contributed to the total.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded 9 865 deaths in this broad accidental-injury category, equivalent to 75.6% of its non-natural deaths.

Gauteng had the highest proportion at 82.3%, followed by Mpumalanga at 78.9%.

Assault tells a different story

The figures also show that KwaZulu-Natal does not have the highest proportion of non-natural deaths from assault.

That distinction belongs to the Western Cape, where assault accounted for 17.5% of non-natural deaths in 2024.

The Eastern Cape followed at 16.3%. KwaZulu-Natal’s proportion was 11.5%, while Gauteng recorded 8.0% and Limpopo 7.7%.

Limpopo stands out for road deaths

Transport accidents show another significant provincial difference.

Limpopo had the highest proportion of non-natural deaths caused by transport accidents, at 20.1%.

The Northern Cape followed at 12.4%, with North West at 12.0%.

KwaZulu-Natal’s figure was 6.6%, while Gauteng recorded the lowest proportion at just 0.9%.

Limpopo and the Northern Cape have historically recorded the highest proportions of transport-accident deaths, according to Stats SA.

Non-natural deaths remain a significant part of mortality

Across South Africa, 63 367 deaths were classified as non-natural in 2024, accounting for 13.2% of all deaths in the report.

The overwhelming majority were classified as other external causes of accidental injury, followed by assault and transport accidents.

Stats SA’s longer-term figures show that non-natural deaths have become a larger share of overall mortality: they accounted for 9.5% of deaths in 2003, compared with 13.3% in 2024.