More Zimbabwean men dying than women

More Zimbabwean men are dying than women, with males accounting for the majority of registered deaths in both 2023 and 2024, according to findings contained in the Zimbabwe Vital Statistics Report 2023–2024 released by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT).

The report shows that men accounted for 53 percent of all registered deaths in 2023, compared to 47 percent for women. In 2024, males accounted for 52.5 percent of registered deaths, while females represented 47.5 percent.

Presenting the findings, ZIMSTAT statistician Mr Perfect Makumbe said the mortality gap was evident across most age groups, with injuries, road traffic accidents and non-communicable diseases emerging as significant contributors to male deaths.

"In 2023, we had 56,018 deaths and in 2024, 54,256 deaths. In both years, registered deaths were consistently higher among males than females," he said.

The report found that the mortality disparity begins early in life, with boys under the age of five consistently recording more deaths than girls.

In 2023, 5,076 deaths were registered among boys under five years compared to 4,192 among girls. In 2024, the figures stood at 4,639 for boys and 3,677 for girls.

"Under-five deaths declined from 55.8 percent in 2023 to 44.2 percent in 2024, with males consistently accounting for the majority of the deaths in both years," Mr Makumbe said.

The report indicates that most under-five deaths occurred during the first week of life. Early neonatal deaths accounted for 47 percent of all under-five deaths in 2023 and 46.5 percent in 2024.

Deaths among infants aged between one and 11 months accounted for about a quarter of all under-five deaths, while children aged one to four years represented 18.5 percent and 17.4 percent of under-five deaths in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

ZIMSTAT said the figures underscore the continued vulnerability of children during their earliest years of life.

Male mortality was found to be higher than female mortality across most provinces and age groups. The report noted that deaths among men were particularly pronounced between the ages of 20 and 59 years, peaking in the 40–44 age group.

Women only recorded higher mortality rates at older ages, particularly among those aged 60 years and above.

Analysis of medically certified deaths showed that non-communicable diseases remain the leading cause of death for both sexes. However, injuries accounted for a significantly larger proportion of male deaths, representing 12.7 percent of deaths among men compared to 4.8 percent among women.

Road traffic accidents were among the leading causes of injury-related deaths, alongside other preventable causes. Hypertension, diabetes and various forms of cancer also featured prominently among the causes of death affecting men.

The report also highlighted changes in the geographical distribution of registered deaths.

Urban deaths increased slightly from 52.6 percent of all registered deaths in 2023 to 54.4 percent in 2024, while the proportion of deaths registered in rural areas declined from 47.4 percent to 45.6 percent over the same period.

The findings provide important insights into Zimbabwe's mortality patterns and are expected to assist policymakers and health authorities in designing targeted interventions aimed at reducing preventable deaths and improving health outcomes across the population.