What kills the most people
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Leading Causes of Death: A Comparative Analysis
Genocide and Mass Murder: The Deadliest Human Actions
Genocide and mass murder, collectively referred to as democide, have been identified as the most significant threats to human life in the 20th century. Research indicates that state-led mass killings have claimed more lives than wars and natural disasters combined. For instance, the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge resulted in the deaths of over 1.7 million people, nearly a quarter of the country's population, due to starvation, overwork, illness, and execution3 5. Similarly, the Indonesian genocide between 1965 and 1966 saw approximately 500,000 people killed7. Overall, democide has been responsible for over 100 million deaths worldwide, making it a leading cause of mortality1 4.
Infectious Diseases: A Persistent Global Threat
Infectious diseases, particularly highly contagious viruses, pose a significant risk to global health. Bill Gates highlighted that a highly infectious virus could potentially kill over 10 million people in the coming decades, surpassing the death tolls of wars2. The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies this threat, having caused millions of deaths worldwide and demonstrating the devastating impact of infectious diseases on human populations.
Terrorism and Suicide Attacks: High Lethality but Lower Overall Impact
Terrorism, especially suicide attacks, is another lethal threat. Suicide attacks are considered the most deadly form of terrorism, killing more people on average than non-suicide attacks8. However, while these attacks are highly lethal, their overall death toll is significantly lower compared to genocide and infectious diseases.
Human-Wildlife Conflict: Specific but Limited Impact
Human-wildlife conflicts, such as tiger attacks in Nepal, also result in fatalities. Over a 28-year period, tigers in Chitwan National Park killed 88 people6. Although these incidents are tragic, their impact is relatively limited compared to other causes of death.
Conclusion
In summary, genocide and mass murder are the leading causes of death due to human actions, with democide responsible for over 100 million deaths in the 20th century. Infectious diseases also pose a significant threat, with the potential to cause millions of deaths. While terrorism and human-wildlife conflicts result in fatalities, their overall impact is considerably lower. Understanding these threats is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate their impact and protect human life.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Power, Genocide and Mass Murder
Absolute power kills absolute, as demonstrated by the research on over 8200 cases of genocide and mass murder by state regimes, quasi states, and groups since 1986.
Highly CitedNovel Coronavirus COVID-19
COVID-19 is a highly infectious virus, and while we've invested in nuclear deterrents, we've not invested in a system to stop epidemics.
Rigorous JournalWhy Did They Kill?
The Khmer Rouge and Nazi regimes share similarities in how mass murder is motivated and how cultural knowledge is incorporated into genocidal ideologies.
Revolutionary and Antirevolutionary Genocides: A Comparison of State Murders in Democratic Kampuchea, 1975 to 1979, and in Indonesia, 1965 to 1966
State murders in Democratic Kampuchea (1975-1979) and Indonesia (1965-1966) show that both revolutions and antirevolutions can lead to genocide and mass murders.
The Demography of Genocide in Southeast Asia: The Death Tolls in Cambodia, 1975-79, and East Timor, 1975-80
Cambodia and East Timor's genocidal mass murders were proportionately comparable, with each taking the lives of over one-fifth of the population, despite Cambodia's larger death toll.
Highly CitedFactors associated with human-killing tigers in Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Local participation in tiger management and conservation is essential to mitigate human-tiger conflicts in Chitwan National Park, Nepal.
Highly CitedGenocide in Indonesia, 1965‐1966
The Indonesian massacres of 1965-1966 remain uncertain, but recent research has improved our understanding of their identity, motivations, and context within genocide studies.
Highly CitedTo die or to kill? An analysis of suicide attack lethality
Suicide attacks are generally more lethal than non-suicide attacks, but come at greater costs to the organization, and may still be a suboptimal tactic for terrorist groups.
Observational StudyThe autogenic (self-generated) massacre.
Autogenic massacres, characterized by isolated individuals with social and psychological disabilities, often follow a stereotypical course and are essentially murder suicides.
Highly CitedHomicide of strangers by people with a psychotic illness.
Stranger homicide in psychosis is extremely rare, and risk assessment of patients with psychotic illnesses may not help prevent stranger homicides due to low base rates and lack of distinguishing characteristics.
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