Health statistics for the City of Cape Town, South Africa, are available over the last 40 years for "European" (white) and "non-European" (non-white) populations separately and show marked interracial differences. In more recent years, certain of these statistics for the 3 separate non-European groups are also available. In this study, comparisons are, in the first place, drawn between the social backgrounds of the 2 main sections of the city''s population. Non-Europeans were at a disadvantage as regards income, occupation, housing, nutrition, and social welfare, education, and medical services. Their reproductive and death rates have been higher than those of Europeans, whose vital statistics have generally kept pace with those of other western communities. Much higher proportions of non-Europeans were born and died outside of institutions, although the disproportion has decreased somewhat in the last 40 years. Among non-Europeans generally the incidence of illegitimacy has been much higher than among Europeans, but there were marked differences among the various non-European races. Against this background, the stillbirth, neonatal, and infant mortality rates and mortality of infants in the 2d year of life in the various race groups are compared. All these rates are found to have been lower and to have declined more among Europeans during the past 3 or 4 decades. Of all these statistics the greatest disparity occurred in the mortality rates in the 2d year of life and there was evidence that interracial differences have increased in recent years. The differences in mortality in infancy have been related to hospitalization. The significance of some of these inter-racial differences has been discussed in the light of changing social conditions.