1 009 065 births were registered in 2018. This includes the total number of births that occurred and were registered for the year 2018, which was 927 113, as well as 81 952 late registrations. This means that 8,1% of births registered during 2018 were registered late. According to the Births and Deaths Registration Amendment Act, a birth must be registered within 30 days of occurrence. However, not all births are registered on time. The report shows that late registration of births, after the lapse of 30 days but before a year, declined from 26,7% in 2014 to 14,2% in 2018. Overall, in the 5-year period (2014–2018), there has been a significant improvement in terms of birth registrations within 30 days from 60,1% in 2014 to 79,6% in 2018. Read more here: http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=12586

1. Recorded
Live Births, 2018
Risenga Maluleke
Statistician-General

2. .
What are the regulations?
Responsible for
registration of Births
Registration of births is governed by
the Births and Death Registration Act
No. 51 of 1992
Form DHA-24/LRB for
late registrations
Form DHA-24 is used to
collect information on
births within 30 days
§ All births occurring in South Africa
ought to be registered within 30 days
from date of occurrence
Timeliness of birth registrations

3. NDP objectives for change
The National Development
Plan 2030 aims to improve
child survival, child
development and children’s
standard of living.

4. i. A name and a nationality from birth; (Scandal of invisibility)
ii. Family care or parental care, or to appropriate alternative care when
removed from the family environment;
iii. Basic nutrition, shelter, basic health care services and social services;
iv. Be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse or degradation;
v. Be protected from exploitative labour practices; (Human trafficking)
Every child has the right to:
Why does registration matter?

5. Completeness of Birth
Registration
Birth registration completeness is vital for planning and resource
allocation. Completeness of birth registration has fluctuated since 2007.
Source: Census and Community Survey
68,7%
84,8% 89,2%
88,6%
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
100,0%
1996−2001 2001−2007 2007−2011 2011−2016
* The 2018 estimate used is the same as for 2016: 88,6%

6. Birth registrations by status of
registration, 2018
There were just over 1 million births registered in South Africa in 2018. This
reflects an increase of 2,0% from 2017 to 2018.
927 113
81 952
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Late
registrations
Current registrations
8,1% of births registered during
2018 were registered late
1 009 065

7. 8%
0,0%
10,0%
20,0%
30,0%
40,0%
50,0%
60,0%
70,0%
80,0%
90,0%
100,0%
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
PERCENTAGESOFBIRTHS
YEAR OF BIRTH REGISTRATION
78%
Late
registrations
Birth registrations by status of
registration, 1996 - 2018
Late registrations peaked at 78% in 1998 dropping to 8% in 2018. Current
registrations increased from 30% in 1996 to 92% in 2018

8. Birth occurrences median age of
mother 1998−2017
27,6
26,6
24,0
25,0
26,0
27,0
28,0
29,0
30,0
31,0
32,0
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Birth occurrences median age of
mother 1999−2018
Ageofmother
The median age of mothers at birth has fluctuated between 26 and 28
years over the last 20 years.
28 years
Median age in 2018

9. The timeliness of birth registrations improved from 56% in 2013 to 80% in
2018. Birth registrations for 31 days and older flattened indicating declines in the late
registration of births.
6% 2%
9%
4%
29%
14%
56%
80%
2013 2018
15 years and older
1-14 years
31-364 days
0-30 days
Birth registration Act mandate:
Registration of births within 30
days of occurrence
Timeliness of birth registrations
2013−2018

10. The highest number of births were registered in the Gauteng province.
Total birth registrations by province
2018
*Excluding 133 where registration province is not specified
24 994
49 505
71 894
81 242
99 948
115 685
128 267
207 034
230 363
0 50 000 100 000 150 000 200 000 250 000
Northern Cape
Free State
North West
Mpumalanga
Western Cape
Eastern Cape
Limpopo
KwaZulu-Natal
Gauteng
Proportion
of births by
province
23%
21%
13%
11%
10%
8%
7%
5%
2%

11. Overview of 2018
Birth occurrences

12. Birth occurrences by province
2018
There were 927 113 registered birth occurrences in South Africa in 2018.
Gauteng had the highest proportion of birth occurrences.
23 402
47 047
55 392
75 369
95 997
104 325
116 276
178 456
200 726
0 50 000 100 000 150 000 200 000 250 000
NC
FS
NW
MP
WC
EC
LP
KZN
GP
Proportion
of birth
occurrences
by province
20,9%
20,4%
13,3%
11,4%
10,5%
8,3%
7,5%
5,1%
2,6%

13. NC
91%
Yes
9%
No
EC
89%
Yes
11%
No
NW
93%
Yes
7%
No
LP
90%
Yes
10%
No
MP
85%
Yes
15%
No
KZN
75%
Yes
25%
No
WC
89%
Yes
11%
No
FS
94%
Yes
6%
No
South Africa
87%
Yes
13%
No
GP
90%
Yes
10%
No
Birth Registration Act mandate:
Registration of births within 30 days of
occurrence
87% of 2018 birth
occurrences complied
KZN had lower proportions (75%) of birth occurrences registered within 30
days. Free State had the highest percentage of births registered within 30 days in the
country.
Timeliness of birth registration of
occurrences by province, 2018

14. 100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
103
103
102
102
102
102
102
102
102
100
GP
EC
NW
FS
KZN
SA
NW
LP
WC
MP
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
98 99 100 101 102 103 104
MalesFemales
South Africa has 102 male births per 100 female births. Gauteng and Eastern
Cape had the highest sex ratio in the country.
Sex ratio of birth occurrences by
province 2018

15. 0,1%
9,4%
25,6%
26,7%
21,8%
12,2%
3,4% 0,3% 0,0%
10–14 15–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54
Births occurring to mothers in age groups 20–34 years represent 74% of all
births in 2018. The mother’s age is useful when developing maternal and child health
policies and planning for the provision of health care services.
Mothers aged 35 years and older
accounted for 15,9% of all births.

16. 0,1%
9,4%
25,6%
26,7%
21,8%
12,2%
3,4% 0,3% 0,0%
10–14 15–19 20–24 25–29 30–34 35–39 40–44 45–49 50–54
Mothers aged 35 years and older
accounted for 15,9% of all births.
60%
17%
6% 5% 5% 5% 7%
22%
54%
-70
-60
-50
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
There is a high percentage of late births registered for mothers 10−14 &
50−54 years.
Percentage late registrations by
mother’s age 2018
Age of mother

17. Percentage of births occurring to
adolescents & older women
2014 – 2018
16%
16%
15%
13%
11%
13% 13% 14% 15% 15%
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
10–19 35─54
Births occurring to adolescents 10–19 years were down to 11% in 2018.
Mothers in high risk pregnancy ages 35–54 remained at 15% in 2018.

18. Birth occurrences peaked in January, March, and September.
Percentage of birth occurrences by
month of birth 2018

19. Around 63% of
births registered
in 2018 had no
information on
fathers
63%
63% of 2017 births had no information on fathers.
Availability of Information on
fathers 2018
*The above refers to MISSING INFORMATION ABOUT FATHERS. Stats SA receives data files from home affairs which is analysed for the publication of the
report. Stats SA reports on information about the father BUT NOT on whether the father is present in the child's life or not. According to Page 12, subsection 3.2
of the report, the Birth registration form provides a space to capture information about the father of the child (Section B of Appendix A on page 32). However, for
most forms, Section B was not completed on the birth registration form.

20. 0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
7%
15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Percentage
Father's age
Availability of Information on
fathers 2018
38% of births registered, included information on the fathers. Of these, 37,3%
of the children born in 2018 were to fathers aged 30-35 years

21. 0
50
100
150
200
250
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 34 35 36 38 39 40 41 42
FREQUENCY
FATHER'S AGE
A total of 1 287 children were born to teenagers aged 10-14. Most of the
fathers were ages 17-25.

22. Baby Names Of South Africa, 2018
Top 10 Girls First NamesTop 10 Boys First Names
1. Enzokuhle
2. Lethabo
3. Melokuhle
4. Lubanzi
5. Junior
6. Siyabonga
7. Bokamoso
8. Omphile
9. Amogelang
10. Thato
1.Enzokuhle
2.Melokuhle
3.Amahle
4.Okuhle
5.Lethabo
6.Omphile
7.Lesedi
8.Rethabile
9.Amogelang
10.Onthatile
Enzokuhle4124
Boys
3571
Girls
Total number of boys and girls
born in 2018
Lethabo and Amohelang were the most
common baby names in 2018 for both sexes.
From the day or time a baby is born to the circumstances surrounding the birth, traditionally
African names often have unique story behind them.
927 113

23. TOP TEN GIRLS MIDDLE NAMES TOP TEN BOYS MIDDLE NAMES
1.Precious 1.Junior
2.Blessing
3. Gift
4. Prince
5. Lubanzi
6.Innocent 7. Enzokuhle
8. Melokuhle
9. Quinton
10. Bandile
2. Princess
3. Angel
4. Blessing
5. Faith
6. Hope
7. Amahle
8. Enzokuhle 10.Grace9. Okuhle

24. Popular baby names by province, 2018
Western Cape
Boy: Liam
Junior
Girl: Mia
Grace
Eastern Cape Northern Cape
Boy: Enzokuhle
Junior
Girl: Enzokuhle
Angel
Boy: Lethabo
Junior
Girl: Reatlegile
Precious
Boy: Lethabo
Junior
Girl: Amohelang
Precious
Boy: Enzokuhle
Junior
Girl: Enzokuhle
Enzokuhle
Boy: Lethabo
Junior
Girl: Onthatile
Precious
Boy: Lethabo
Junior
Girl: Amahle
Precious
Boy: Blessing
Junior
Girl: Melokuhle
Princess
Boy: Lethabo
Junior
Girl: Lethabo
Precious
Free State KwaZulu-Natal North West
Gauteng Mpumalanga Limpopo
First name
Middle name

25. Ten most popular baby surnames in SA 2018
SA
1. Dlamini
2. Nkosi
3. Ndlovu
4. Khumalo
5. Sithole
6. Mokoena
7. Mkhize
8. Gumede
9. Mthembu
10. Mahlangu
WC
Jacobs
Williams
EC
Booi
Williams
FS
Mokoena
Mofokeng
KZN
Dlamini
Mkhize
NW
Molefe
Modise
MP
Nkosi
Mahlangu
LP
Baloyi
Maluleke
NC
Van Wyk
Louw
GP
Nkosi
Mokoena

26. THANK YOU
Ndzi Hela Kwala!