Windhoek – Namibia’s Statistician-General, Alex Shimuafeni, announced an increase in the country’s infant mortality rate from 2018 to 2021. Shimuafeni shared these findings with the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa), highlighting a concerning trend in child health.

According to Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA), the infant mortality rate rose from 49 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 54 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021. He noted that more than half of these deaths were male infants. “Oshana recorded the highest number of infant deaths in 2020, while in 2021, the highest numbers were in Oshana and Omaheke,” Shimuafeni said. Additionally, the mortality rate for children under the age of five slightly increased from 62 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 65 in 2021.

The Namibia Statistics Agency also observed that most deaths were due to non-communicable diseases. “Deaths due to communicable, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional conditions have been declining,” Shimuafeni explained. The leading causes of death between 2018 and 2021 included COVID-19, hypertensive disease, lower respiratory infections, HIV, diabetes, self-inflicted injuries, road accidents, nephritis and nephrosis, endocrine disorders, and diarrheal diseases. Hypertensive disease was the leading cause of death in 2020, while COVID-19 was the leading cause in 2021. For children under five, diarrheal diseases were the leading cause of death.