Adult External Cause Mortality in South Africa and Russia: 1997-2002

South Africa and Russia have nearly identical per capita incomes, with greater inequality in South Africa. Both countries experienced major political changes since the mid-1980s. By international standards both countries have high adult external cause and all cause death rates. At adult ages (15-64), between 1997 and 2002 external cause death rates for each sex rose in Russia and but declined for most ages for each sex in South Africa. Also above age 35, for each sex at every age, for a given date external cause death rates were higher in Russia than in South Africa. The sex differential in external cause mortality is greater in Russia than in South Africa. The decline in external cause mortality in South Africa seems to be due to a decline in homicide mortality, while the increase in external cause death rates in Russia seems to be the result of increases both in homicide and in accident mortality. Natural cause mortality for each sex rose in South Africa. The decline in external cause mortality (or the slower increase in external cause than natural cause mortality) muted the rise in all caus