HIV rate up in mid-year population estimates

THE HIV prevalence rate has risen to 12.7% from 11.2% last year. This was revealed yesterday when Statistician-General Dr Pali Lehohla released the mid-year population estimates in Pretoria.

According to last year’s estimates, 6.19 million people were living with HIV in the country compared to 7.03 million this year.

The statistics revealed that for the 15-49 year age group, an estimated 18.9% of the population was HIV-positive.

For 2016, Statistics SA estimated the mid-year population as 55.91 million, up from up from 54.96 million last year, with women accounting for about 51% of that number.

The mid-year population growth statistics look at fertility, mortality and migration rates.

“Between 2015 and 2016 the South African population grew by 1.62%,” Lehohla said. “Gauteng comprises the largest share with 13.5 million people living in this province.”

He said population growth was higher in the 60 and older age group compared to the 35-year age group, because young people were more likely to be uneducated and in crime. “They are actually in very illegal situations, and they are likely to be in poverty”.

He said young men were more likely to die in accidents, and young women of viral diseases.

Lehohla said there were more boys born, but in the general population there were more girls because of young men dying early. The country’s life expectancy was estimated at 62.4 overall but stood at 59.7 for males and 65.1 for females.

“Fertility has declined from an average of 2.65 children per woman in 2002 to 2.43 children in 2016, meaning the average woman will give birth to 2.43 children in her lifetime.”