Prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in South Africa
South Africa: Prevalence of anemia in pregnant women was 29.3 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in South Africa, 2000–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in South Africa stood at 29.3.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in South Africa peaked at 33.3 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 28.6, in 2013.
That places South Africa 87th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 33.3 | — |
| 2001 | 32.9 | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 32.6 | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 32.2 | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 31.8 | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 31.3 | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 30.8 | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 30.3 | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 29.9 | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 29.4 | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 29.1 | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 28.8 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 28.7 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 28.6 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 28.6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 28.6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 28.7 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 28.7 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 28.7 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 28.8 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 28.8 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 28.9 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 29.1 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 29.3 | +0.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 29.3 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 26.95, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 29.3 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.85, 65% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.45 | 29.4 | 33.3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.73 | 28.6 | 29.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.02 | 28.8 | 29.3 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More gender data for South Africa
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,151 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.6591 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 51,011 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 51,011 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in South Africa?
- Prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in South Africa was 29.3 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest prevalence of anemia in pregnant women recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 33.3 in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of anemia in pregnant women recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.6 in 2013.
- How does South Africa rank for prevalence of anemia in pregnant women?
- South Africa ranks 87th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is prevalence of anemia in pregnant women rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Prevalence of anemia in pregnant women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).