SA has lost 4.4m to Aids: Survey

There would be more than 4.4 million more people in South Africa if it were not for the Aids epidemic, according to a survey released on Monday.

"Currently, there are 50.6m people in the country. In the absence of Aids, this would have been 55m," said the SA Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR).

"The data shows that 31 percent of all deaths in 2011 were Aids-related. By 2015, this proportion will have risen to 33 percent. In 2025, there will be 121 percent more Aids deaths than there were in 2000," it said.

SAIRR said and estimated six million people would be living with HIV/Aids in 2015, double the number recorded in 2000.

Researcher Thuthukani Ndebele said HIV/Aids had resulted in a significantly slower population growth rate.

"Not only does HIV/Aids reduce life expectancy and increase mortality, but it is largely responsible for wider social ills such as orphanhood and child-headed households," he said.

The survey is based on data sourced from the Actuarial Society of South Africa and the Institute for Futures Research.

According to the data the HIV prevalence rate is higher among young African adults, resulting in fewer people in this group reaching old age.