More men die than women

THE Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) has revealed that more men die yearly than women.

According to the agency’s ‘Mortality and Causes of Deaths’ report released on Tuesday, the leading cause of death in Namibia is hypertension, and the second-biggest cause is Covid-19.

In 2021, some 12 962 men died in the country, compared to 11 249 women.

“There was an increase in the number of deaths that occurred between 2018 to 2021, from 18 939 to 24 117, respectively. Generally, there were more male than female deaths, as well as more infant and elderly deaths,” says Alex Shimuafeni, the NSA’s statistician general.

The report highlights that there are more male than female infant deaths.

“More than half of the infant deaths were males across the years,” Shimuafeni says.

Helena-Tangi Shigwedha, a registered nurse, says men experience hypertension because of societal pressures, and the condition is also common in people in the lower-income class.

She says hypertension in young people could be due to the stress of being unemployed.

“Underprivileged and low-income people are more prone to hypertension. Other causes of hypertension include stress, marital issues, societal pressures and the high unemployment rate – especially among the youth,” Shigwedha says.

She says hypertension can also be passed on genetically, although this is rare.