Southern Africa: Newly Released 2025 Scorecard Unveils Progress and Setbacks On Health and Gender Equality Across Southern Africa

AllAfrica

February 25, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Southern Africa’s latest 2025 Scorecard from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reveals both progress and challenges in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across its 16 member states. The scorecard, which tracks 20 key indicators using a "traffic light" system, highlights significant strides in areas like reducing adolescent birth rates and vertical transmission of HIV, but also flags urgent needs such as rising sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and gaps in maternal health services. The data shows that twelve countries have successfully lowered adolescent birth rates, largely due to expanded access to life-skills education on HIV and comprehensive sexuality in schools. Additionally, progress has been made in reducing maternal mortality in six nations, attributed to a regional focus on improving maternal care. However, the region faces a concerning rise in STIs, particularly among adolescents, linked to declining condom use in many countries. Despite these challenges, the scorecard underscores the importance of sustained investment in health services, particularly for women and girls. Family planning remains a critical area of need, with eight member states failing to meet contraceptive requirements, limiting opportunities to reduce teen pregnancies and maternal deaths. Gender-based violence (GBV) also persists as a major issue, with high rates of sexual and intimate partner violence reported across all countries. While laws and policies have been established, implementation gaps remain, requiring stronger integration of SRHR services for survivors. The scorecard also reveals that no SADC country has met the Abuja Declaration target of allocating 15% of national budgets to health. With donor funding declining, domestic financing is essential to achieve universal health coverage and reduce

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Originally published on AllAfrica on 2/25/2026