Share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa
South Africa: Share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis was 74.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa, 1983–2024
Source: WHO & UNICEF (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa stood at 74.0%.
The figure is down 6.3% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa peaked at 97.0% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 55.0%, in 1988.
That places South Africa 145th out of 166 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 71.0% | — |
| 1984 | 67.0% | -5.6% |
| 1985 | 70.0% | +4.5% |
| 1986 | 61.0% | -12.9% |
| 1987 | 64.0% | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 55.0% | -14.1% |
| 1989 | 73.0% | +32.7% |
| 1990 | 57.0% | -21.9% |
| 1991 | 63.0% | +10.5% |
| 1992 | 66.0% | +4.8% |
| 1993 | 95.0% | +43.9% |
| 1994 | 95.0% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 95.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 95.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 97.0% | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 94.0% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 92.0% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 89.0% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 86.0% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 84.0% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 81.0% | -3.6% |
| 2004 | 78.0% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 76.0% | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 79.0% | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 79.0% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 84.0% | +6.3% |
| 2009 | 82.0% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 81.0% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 84.0% | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 86.0% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 88.0% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 93.0% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 83.0% | -10.8% |
| 2016 | 79.0% | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 75.0% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 70.0% | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 84.0% | +20.0% |
| 2020 | 86.0% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 86.0% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 84.0% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 79.0% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 74.0% | -6.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 74.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.5%, 77% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 74.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 89.0%, 83% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +43.9% | 66.0% | 95.0% |
| 1989 | +32.7% | 55.0% | 73.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 65.9% | 55.0% | 73.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 84.9% | 57.0% | 97.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.8% | 76.0% | 89.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.3% | 70.0% | 93.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.8% | 74.0% | 86.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa?
- Share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis in South Africa was 74.0% in 2024, according to WHO & UNICEF (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 1997.
- What is the lowest share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.0% in 1988.
- How does South Africa rank for share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis?
- South Africa ranks 145th out of 166 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from WHO & UNICEF (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of newborns vaccinated against tuberculosis. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of newborns who have had one dose of the tuberculosis (BCG) vaccine in a given year.