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South Africa has fourth-highest suicide rate in Africa, the WHO says

Dailydispatch · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 599 words · By Modiegi Mashamaite
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What to know about South Africa has fourth-highest suicide rate in Africa, the WHO says

South Africa has the fourth-highest suicide rate in Africa, highlighting the growing burden of mental health challenges in the country, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Health Observatory.

Claims checked 16
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

South Africa has the fourth-highest suicide rate in Africa, highlighting the growing burden of mental health challenges in the country, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Health Observatory.

Why it matters

South Africa was among 21 countries in the WHO African region that submitted data on the prevalence of mental health conditions with a particular focus on suicide rates.

Common ground

The data showed South Africa had a suicide rate of 21.1 deaths per 100,000 people.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailydispatch.co.za/news/2026-06-01-south-africa-has-fourth-highest-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 6
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “According to October Health’s State of Mind report, unaddressed mental health conditions cost South Africa’s economy more than R250bn annually and the equivalent of about 4.5% of the country’s GDP.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While one source mentions October Health's State of Mind report in the context of South African health media, the specific figures (R250bn and 4.5% GDP) are not independently corroborated by other provided sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Empire State of Mind" is a song recorded by American rapper Jay-Z and American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, for the former's eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3 (2009). Produced by Al Shux, the s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_of_Mind
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sanford Health is a nonprofit, integrated health care delivery system headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with additional offices in Fargo and Bismarck, North Dakota, and Bemidji, Minnesota. T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanford_Health
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Carolina ( KARR-ə-LY-nə) is a state in the Southeastern, South Atlantic and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “Shiba said the department of health was implementing several measures to strengthen prevention, early identification and treatment of mental health conditions under the National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2023–2030.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 3: “She said the department was also working to better integrate mental health services into primary healthcare facilities and general hospitals by training nurses to identify and treat mental health conditions using approved clinical guidelines.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 4: “A recent workshop heard that an estimated 253 people attempt suicide every day in South Africa”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim that 253 people attempt suicide daily in South Africa.
help
Claim 5: “globally one in three people will experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lives.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding the global lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders (one in three people).
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Claim 6: “In South Africa this translates into an estimated 452-million lost work hours annually.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Web search results discuss mental illness and lost income in South Africa generally, but none of the provided evidence mentions the specific figure of '452-million lost work hours'.
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web search NEUTRAL — The presence of severe depression or anxiety disorders was associated with a significant reduction in earnings in the previous 12 months among both employed and ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3627034/
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) estimates that presenteeism, where employees are physically present at work but struggle ...
https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2026-06-01-south-africa-has…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 19, 2026 ... South Africans are living through another cycle of sustained economic pressure as rising fuel costs continue to filter through the economy, ...
https://www.bonitas.co.za/news-article/south-africans-are-st…
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Claim 7: “Speaking during the three-day Regional Mental Health Intercountry Workshop held at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park from May 27 to 29, director of mental health and substance abuse at the national department of health Dr Dudu Shiba said...”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 8: “The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) estimates that presenteeism... accounts for more than R200bn in lost productivity each year.”
CORROBORATED
The figure of R200 billion in lost productivity due to mental illness attributed to SADAG is mentioned in a qualitative analysis and referenced in other contexts.
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 8, 2026 ... October Health's State of Mind report, widely cited across South African health and business media through 2025 and 2026, estimates that ...
https://dipuo.co.za/post8.html
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web search NEUTRAL — According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), mental illness ... mental health costs about. R200 billion a year. Thus ...
https://scholar.sun.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/2c14573…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2026 ... In South Africa, workplace stress is a growing concern. According to the 2023 South African Employee Wellness Survey, 68% of employees report ...
https://www.facebook.com/windhoekexpress/posts/the-2026-empl…
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Claim 9: “South Africa has the fourth-highest suicide rate in Africa, highlighting the growing burden of mental health challenges in the country, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Health Observatory.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources, including a report from the National Department of Health and news articles, confirm that according to the WHO, South Africa has the fourth-highest suicide rate in Africa.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of American countries by life expectancy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_in_the_Ameri…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Global Health Observatory (GHO) is a public health observatory established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to share data on global health, including statistics by country and information ab…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Health_Observatory
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 10: “In addition, the department collaborates with key stakeholders including the department of basic education, department of social development, South African Police Service, Sadag and the South African Federation for Mental Health.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 11: “These interventions include increasing the number of mental health professionals at primary healthcare level through the Mental Health Conditional Grant allocated by the National Treasury.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “Shiba said an indicator tracking suicide attempts presenting at health facilities had also been incorporated into the National Health Information System to strengthen surveillance and guide targeted interventions.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 13: “The data showed South Africa had a suicide rate of 21.1 deaths per 100,000 people.”
CORROBORATED
The suicide rate of 21.1 per 100,000 people for South Africa is cited by the National Department of Health and other reporting sources. TheGlobalEconomy.com also references this specific figure for the year 2020.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. Its nine provinces are bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles) of coastline that stre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From the 1960s to the 1990s, South Africa pursued research into weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons under the apartheid government. South Africa is one of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_and_weapons_of_ma…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Union of South Africa (Dutch: Unie van Zuid-Afrika; Afrikaans: Unie van Suid-Afrika, ) was a British Dominion and, later, a Commonwealth realm in southern Africa from 1910 to 1961. It was the his…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_Africa
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 14: “The five African countries with the highest rates were: Lesotho (36.7 per 100,000 population), Eswatini (31.0), Zimbabwe (25.4), South Africa (21.1). Eritrea (20.2).”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources list the exact ranking and figures for the top five countries: Lesotho (36.7), Eswatini (31.0), Zimbabwe (25.4), South Africa (21.1), and Eritrea (20.2).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Communit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eswatini national football team, nicknamed Sihlangu Semnikati (King's Shield), represents Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, in international football and is controlled by the Eswatini Footbal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini_national_football_tea…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South African rand, or simply the rand, (sign: R; code: ZAR) is the official currency of South Africa. It is subdivided into 100 cents (sign: "c"), and a comma separates the rand and cents. The So…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_rand
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 15: “The WHO estimates depression and anxiety result in the loss of 12-billion workdays globally every year, costing the world economy about $1-trillion.”
VERIFIED
The WHO official website and related reports explicitly state that 12 billion working days are lost annually to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy $1 trillion.
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web search NEUTRAL — Twelve billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety alone. Furthermore, people living with severe mental health conditions are largely ...
https://www.who.int/teams/mental-health-and-substance-use/pr…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 27, 2026 ... Every year, an estimated 12 billion workdays are lost to depression and anxiety, costing the global economy approximately US$1 trillion a year.
https://www.facebook.com/ansidotorg/posts/the-global-economy…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 2, 2024 ... ... estimated to have a mental disorder in 2019. Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at ...
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-heal…
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Claim 16: “South Africa was among 21 countries in the WHO African region that submitted data on the prevalence of mental health conditions with a particular focus on suicide rates.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results explicitly mention that 21 countries in the WHO African region presented data on the prevalence of mental health conditions.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers around 20% of Earth's la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of African-American Jews. Mazi Melesa Pilip, Ethiopian-born American politician Cameron Boyce, child actor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_Jews
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.