Death from non-war violence: an international comparison

Patterns of death from violence (accidents, suicide and homicide) among persons 1-64 years of age during the approximate period 1950-1978 were studied in 49 populations having 'virtually complete' registration of death. On both theoretical and methodological grounds, the main part of the analysis was based on the sum of death rates from all violent causes, rather than on the rates for these various causes, separately. Substantial differences were found both within populations according to gender and age, and between populations with respect to: the extent of death from violence, the proportion such deaths were of all deaths and the ratio of male to female mortality from this cause. Also found was a high degree of consistency over time, both between a population's mortality level from violence and the rank order of this mortality level in comparison with that of other populations. No particular association was found between the death rate from violence and that from other causes. Explanation is seen as involving a variety of possible causes: physiology, chance, the availability of means, role differences, social disorganization and the 'culture of violence', all of which are in some measure supported by the patterns observed. While considerably lessened by the method used, some problems of interpretation do remain, particularly with respect to cross-population comparisons. These several problems are enumerated and briefly discussed.