Epidemiology of violent deaths in the world
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Ecological descriptive analysis based on secondary global epidemiological models (design analogy)
OpenAlex W2131239291 · doi:10.1136/ip.7.2.104
What was done
The authors evaluated global mortality from violence in 1990 using data derived from the Global Burden of Disease series and the US National Center for Health Statistics. They estimated crude rates, age-adjusted rates, sex rate ratios, and health burdens across eight major world regions for suicide, homicide, and war-related deaths.
What was found
In 1990, an estimated 1,851,000 violent deaths occurred globally (35.3 per 100,000). - Suicide: Estimated 786,000 deaths, with overall rates ranging from 3.4 per 100,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa to 30.4 per 100,000 in China. - Homicide: Estimated 563,000 deaths, with overall rates ranging from 1.0 per 100,000 in established market economies to 44.8 per 100,000 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rates peaked among males aged 15–24 years and females aged 0–4 years. - War: Estimated 502,000 deaths, with peak rates in both sexes among age groups 0–4, 15–29, and 60–69 years.
Why it matters
This study provides an epidemiological benchmark for global violence mortality across self-directed, interpersonal, and collective domains to guide international prevention priorities.
Limits
The estimates rely on secondary modeled data from 1990 Global Burden of Disease datasets and vital statistics, which are constrained by variable vital registration coverage and misclassification across world regions. The abstract provides point estimates without uncertainty intervals.
Cited by
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