Between 2018 and 2021, the death toll rose from 18939 to 24117.

The majority of these fatalities affected males, infants, and the elderly.

This is contained in the second series of mortality and causes of death reports launched by the Namibia Statistics Agency today.

The recorded deaths are attributed to hypertensive diseases in 2020 with 8,8%, while COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in 2021 with 18,6%, followed by HIV and lower respiratory infections.

Most deaths were due to non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, with 42.9% and 44% in 2020 and 2021, while the least was due to endocrine disorders in 2020 with 6.1% and in 2021 with 5.9%.

Others include maternal, perinatal, and nutritional conditions, as well as injuries.

Diarrheal diseases were ranked the leading cause of death for children under 5 in 2020, with 11,9% and 11,3% in 2021.

The report indicates that the majority of deaths occurred in Khomas and Oshana regions, while Kavango West and Kunene regions recorded the fewest deaths.

WHO Officer in Charge, Dr. Mary Brantuo, underscored the importance of the mortality report as paramount for developing effective health policies and allocating resources.

The report also pointed out the need for the capacity building of certifiers to properly record causes of death using WHO standards and identify underlining causes of death based on the current data recording and coding format, among others.