This statistical release presents the results on mortality and causes of death based on the analysis of information contained on all death notification forms received from the Department of Home Affairs for the years 1997 to 2003. The last release from Statistics
South Africa on this topic was based on a 12% sample of the forms received for the years 1997 to 2001. Mortality data are provided in numbers and percentages for 1997 to 2002 and in percentages only for 2003, as fewer death notification forms have been processed for deaths in 2003 than the corresponding number of deaths recorded in the population register. Basic information on the causes of death for all seven years is presented in the appendices. The detailed analysis provided in the text pertains to data for years 1997, 1999 and 2001. It should be noted that the present release employed stricter coding procedures than the previous release. Moreover, an automated procedure was used to determine the underlying cause of death, whereas for the release based on the 12% sample this step was carried out by health professionals