Levels and trends of adult mortality in Namibia

Maria Bernadethe Kaundjua, University of Namibia

Despite the mounting need for accurate knowledge of adult mortality estimates in development sectors, the topic remained a neglected public health issue in comparison with the interest shown to the monitoring of child survival. The lack of adult mortality estimates particularly in developing countries has been partly attributed to inadequacy of vital registration but also to technical limitations of methods that can be used to investigate the subject retrospectively. Similar to other developing countries, adult mortality remained a neglected issue in Namibia even after independence in 1990. The census and DHS attempted to fill the gap, yet to date, little is known about patterns of adult mortality in Namibia. This paper analyses the orphanhood data from the 2001 census and applies the INDEPTH life tables to derive plausible estimates of adult mortality. The results show that though adult mortality declined in the early 1990s, it has been rising since 1995.