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The Top 5 Leading Cause of Death for Persons 15 to 29 in High Income Countries
| Cause of Death | Number of Deaths | Percentage of Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Road Traffic Injuries | 37,038 | 40.54% |
| 2 | Self-inflicted Injuries | 20,415 | 22.35% |
| 3 | Interpersonal Violence | 9,800 | 10.72% |
| 4 | Poisonings | 3,504 | 3.83% |
| 5 | Leukemia | 2,697 | 2.95% |
Special Report
- Each year, road traffic injuries kill 1.2 million people (3,242 deaths per day) and injure or disable 20–50 million more. Most traffic-related deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. Young men 15 to 44 years old, are involved in 77% of all vehicular collisions. Affected families are impoverished by health care costs and loss of income. Even countries are debilitated: costs to low- and middle-income countries exceed US$65 billion per year,2 which is more than the total amount received in these countries for development assistance.
- 815,000 people kill themselves worldwide every year, roughly one person every 40 seconds. Studies suggest that there are on average 20 attempted suicides for every completed suicide. In the last 45 years suicide rates have increased by 60% worldwide. Suicide is now among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 years (both sexes). Mental disorders, particularly depression and substance abuse, are associated with more than 90% of all cases of suicide. According to WHO estimates for the year 2020 and based on current trends, approximately 1.5 million people will die from suicide and 10 to 20 times more people will attempt suicide worldwide. This represents on average one death every 20 seconds and one attempt every 1 to 2 seconds. The highest suicide rates in the world for both men and women are found in Eastern Europe. Outside of Europe the highest suicide rates are found, interestingly enough, in island countries such as Japan, Cuba, Shri Lanka and Mauritius.
- According to the statistics gathered by the WHO Global Burden of Disease project for 2000, more than 1,659,000 people died due to interpersonal violence that year (includes homicides, Suicides, and war-related deaths) and millions more suffered the effects of non-fatal violence. Interpersonal violence “ violence between individuals in families and communities - is considered to be a serious public health problem. According to the study, the vast majority of these deaths occurred in low- to middle-income countries and less than 10% of all violence-related deaths occurred in high-income countries. Nearly half of these 1.6 million violence-related deaths were suicides, almost one-third were homicides and about one-fifth were war-related. Violence exacts both a human and an economic toll on nations, and costs economies many billions of US dollars each year in health care, legal costs, absenteeism from work and lost productivity.
- According to the WHO, an estimated 350,000 people died from unintentional poisoning worldwide in 2002. Poisoning was the 6th most common cause of death in India and the 9th most common cause of death in China for young adults in 2000. More than 94% of all fatal poisonings occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Snakebite is a large part of this largely unrecognized public health problem and is believed to be responsible for over 125,000 deaths in 1998.
- There are over 250,000 new cases of leukemia worldwide each year. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most common form of leukemia in the western world, with males being affected more than females.
Tags:
Death Statistics, Health Statistics, High Income Countries
Sources: World Health Organization, WHO report: Injury, a Leading Cause of the Global Burden of Disease 2000. Snake bites: appraisal of the global situation (J-P Chippaux)
List Notes: All Statistics are reported deaths for the year 2000. This WHO study combines mortality data from national vital registration systems with information obtained from surveys, censuses,epidemiological studies and health service data.
Sources: World Health Organization, WHO report: Injury, a Leading Cause of the Global Burden of Disease 2000. Snake bites: appraisal of the global situation (J-P Chippaux)
List Notes: All Statistics are reported deaths for the year 2000. This WHO study combines mortality data from national vital registration systems with information obtained from surveys, censuses,epidemiological studies and health service data.
