Table 2.
Causes of death among children (5–14 years) and adults (15–29 years and 30–69 years) in Sierra Leone, 2018–20
| Study deaths (male/female) | National annual deaths* | Percentage of national totals† | Mortality rate, per 100 000 population‡ | Period risk, % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5–14 years | |||||
| Malaria | 250 (140/110) | 2119 | 34% | 99·1 (95·0–103·5) | 0·98% |
| Other infectious and parasitic causes§ | 166 (81/85) | 1464 | 23% | 68·5 (65·1–72·1) | 0·67% |
| Other non-communicable causes§ | 86 (52/34) | 643 | 10% | 30·1 (27·9–32·5) | 0·29% |
| Injuries | 88 (60/28) | 652 | 10% | 30·5 (28·3–32·9) | 0·29% |
| Diarrhoea | 60 (41/19) | 496 | 8% | 23·2 (21·3–25·3) | 0·23% |
| Pneumonia | 32 (16/16) | 221 | 4% | 10·3 (9·1–11·8) | 0·12% |
| Sickle-cell disorders | 29 (14/15) | 285 | 5% | 13·3 (11·9–15·0) | 0·14% |
| Meningitis or encephalitis | 17 (9/8) | 128 | 2% | 6·0 (5·0–7·1) | 0·06% |
| Acute bacterial sepsis and severe infections | 10 (5/5) | 95 | 2% | 4·5 (3·6–5·4) | 0·06% |
| Ill-defined or cause unknown | 16 (7/9) | 124 | 2% | 5·8 (4·9–6·9) | 0·06% |
| All 5–14 years deaths | 754 (425/329) | 6227 | 100% | 291·3 (284·3–298·7) | 2·90% |
| 15–29 years | |||||
| Malaria | 239 (129/110) | 2483 | 20% | 106·0 (101·9–110·2) | 1·57% |
| Other infectious conditions | 141 (70/71) | 1311 | 11% | 56·0 (53·0–59·1) | 0·87% |
| Injuries¶ | 104 (83/21) | 1181 | 10% | 48·3 (47·7–53·4) | 0·79% |
| Road traffic accidents | 88 (59/29) | 797 | 6% | 34·0 (31·7–36·5) | 0·47% |
| Diarrhoea | 61 (31/30) | 664 | 5% | 28·3 (26·3–30·6) | 0·39% |
| Acute respiratory infections | 52 (27/25) | 533 | 4% | 22·7 (20·9–24·8) | 0·31% |
| All vascular causes | 47 (20/27) | 473 | 4% | 20·2 (18·5–22·1) | 0·31% |
| HIV or AIDS and other STIs | 41 (16/25) | 474 | 4% | 20·2 (18·5–22·1) | 0·31% |
| Other digestive causes | 97 (59/38) | 1052 | 9% | 44·9 (42·3–47·7) | 0·71% |
| Severe systemic infection and other infections | 64 (36/28) | 579 | 5% | 24·7 (22·8–26·8) | 0·39% |
| Sickle-cell disorders | 28 (10/18) | 275 | 2% | 11·7 (10·4–13·2) | 0·16% |
| Cancers | 26 (8/18) | 306 | 2% | 13·1 (11·7–14·6) | 0·16% |
| Other conditions | 161 (24/138) | 1566 | 13% | 66·9 (63·6–70·2) | 1·02% |
| Ill-defined or cause unknown | 42 (20/22) | 560 | 5% | 23·9 (22·0–26·0) | 0·39% |
| All 15–29 years deaths | 1192 (593/599) | 12 254 | 100% | 523·1 (513·9–532·4) | 7·87% |
| 30–69 years | |||||
| Malaria | 547 (292/255) | 4392 | 14% | 213·8 (207·6–220·2) | 7·48% |
| Cardiac and other vascular causes‖ | 375 (199/176) | 3121 | 10% | 151·9 (146·7–157·4) | 5·34% |
| Digestive diseases‖ | 395 (267/128) | 3295 | 11% | 160·4 (155·0–166·0) | 5·88% |
| Stroke | 317 (171/146) | 2503 | 8% | 121·8 (117·2–126·7) | 4·28% |
| Injuries | 221 (160/61) | 1920 | 6% | 93·5 (89·4–97·7) | 3·21% |
| Other infectious causes | 203 (115/88) | 2294 | 8% | 111·6 (107·2–116·3) | 4·28% |
| Diarrhoea | 200 (101/99) | 1814 | 6% | 88·3 (84·3–92·5) | 3·21% |
| Acute respiratory infections | 173 (103/70) | 1487 | 5% | 72·4 (68·8–76·2) | 2·67% |
| Cancers | 162 (71/91) | 1567 | 5% | 76·3 (72·6–80·2) | 2·67% |
| Road traffic accidents | 146 (105/41) | 1073 | 3% | 52·2 (49·2–55·5) | 1·60% |
| Tuberculosis | 133 (91/42) | 1287 | 4% | 62·6 (59·3–66·2) | 2·14% |
| HIV or AIDS and other STIs | 96 (48/48) | 886 | 3% | 43·1 (40·4–46·1) | 1·60% |
| Severe systemic infection and other infections | 153 (74/79) | 1289 | 4% | 62·8 (59·4–66·3) | 2·14% |
| Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary conditions | 58 (32/26) | 565 | 2% | 27·5 (25·3–29·9) | 1·07% |
| Nephritis and nephrosis | 52 (33/19) | 400 | 1% | 19·5 (17·7–21·5) | 0·53% |
| Sickle-cell disorders | 18 (10/8) | 174 | 1% | 8·5 (7·3–9·8) | 0·53% |
| Other medical causes | 195 (65/130) | 1762 | 6% | 85·8 (81·9–89·9) | 3·21% |
| Ill-defined and abnormal findings | 92 (44/48) | 907 | 3% | 44·1 (41·4–47·1) | 1·60% |
| All 30–69 years deaths | 3536 (1981/1555) | 30 736 | 100% | 1496·2 (1479·6–1513·0) | 53·45% |
Data are n, %, or rate (95% CI). STI=sexually transmitted infection.
National totals were estimated by use of the 2020 average for deaths in each age group (5–14 years, 15–29 years, and 30–69 years) from the UN World Population Prospects (2019).1
Percentages are weighted for district and for urban or rural residence.
Mortality rates were estimated by use of the 2020 average for population in each age group (5–14 years, 15–29 years, and 30–69 years) from the UN World Population Prospects (2019).1
Other infectious and parasitic causes include “other and unspecified infectious diseases” (63%) and tuberculosis, measles, fever of unknown origin, or HIV or AIDS (19%); other non-communicable causes include diseases of the digestive system and nutritional diseases (40%).
Injuries include falls (21%), exposure to inanimate mechanical forces (12%), and contact with venomous animals and plants (19%).
Cardiac and other vascular causes include ischaemic heart disease (64%) and heart failure (17%); digestive diseases include liver and alcohol-related diseases (30%), gastrooesophageal causes (24%), and diseases of the digestive system (23%).