The Challenge of Non-Communicable Diseases and Road Traffic ...

14 The Challenge of Non-communicable Diseases and Road Traffic Injuries in Sub-Saharan Africa
Compared to other regions of the world in 2008, Africa was estimated to have the highest age-standardized
mortality rate for NCDs (779 per 100,000 population) and for injuries including RTIs (107 per 100,000
population) (Figure 3) [30]. Globally, NCD deaths are expected to increase by a further 17 percent in the
next 10 years, with the largest increase expected in Africa (27 percent) [31].
FIGURE 3: Age-Standardized Mortality Rates by Cause, WHO Regions, 2008
Age-standardized mortality rates by cause
(Per 100 000 population)
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Africa Americas South-East Asia Europe Eastern Mediterranean Western Pacific
WHO Region
Communicable diseases, maternal and perinatal conditions, nutritional deficiencies Noncommunicable diseases Injuries
Source: [32]
NCDs occur at younger ages in SSA than elsewhere:
for example, the average age of death from
CVD is at least 10 years younger than in developed
countries [33]. Half of the deaths caused by NCDs
in Africa occur in people under 70 years of age [6],
and NCDs are already the leading cause of death
in people aged over 45 years (Figure 4). The NCD
death rate among women in Africa is twice as high
as the rate in high-income countries [31].
FIGURE 4: Proportion of Deaths by Age Group
(Years) in SSA, 2010
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0-4 yrs 5-14 yrs 15-44 yrs 45 yrs
Other injuries
Road traffic injuries
Noncommunicable
diseases
Maternal, perinatal,
nutritional causes
Communicable diseases
Source: Authors from [17]