MURDER WATCH 2015

bruessard.com

GO TO BOTTOM OF PAGE

Courtesy of lsdsoftware.com | Read Aloud TTS (text to speech) Widget from readaloud.app Listen to this article

This page can be viewed as a continuation of the "Ebola Watch 2014" page of this website. The "Ebola Watch 2014" page examined the deadly scourge of Ebola (and also the deadly scourges of other diseases such as AIDS and cancer to a much lesser extent). Ebola was viewed as a disease of Nature that humans must strive to eradicate. On this page, the human-induced scourge of murder is examined. Humans also must strive to permanently eradicate incidences of both suicide attacks (namely, suicide bombings) and one-on-one murders (namely, firearm shootings).

Previously, the "War and Peace" page of this website examined the scourge of war as an anachronistic human practice that must be banished once and for all, beginning right now, at the dawn of the 21st century. That is, the scourge of war must be banished if humans ever are going to realize a perpetual state of Heaven on Earth for the living to enjoy each day.

Also, the "Guns and Bombs" page of this website examined the scourge of firearms (as weapons of murder) and the scourge of (nuclear) bombs (as weapons of mass extinction). Guns and bombs collectively were viewed as another ancient human artifact that is completely incongruous with the futuristic or forward-looking concept of Heaven on Earth for the living to enjoy each day.

The reality is this: There is a whole lot of murdering going down across Earth each day—and a much, much higher number of non-fatal crimes being committed, in general. A key difference between being victimized by a non-fatal crime as opposed to becoming a victim of murder is this: In time, you can recover from a non-fatal crime, but you can never recover from murder. Humans must stop their murdering madness right now. All other things being equal such as no unintentional deaths, humans ought to be able to die of old age and natural causes rather than to die prematurely due to murder.

One objective of this page is to measure whether or not humans are making progress or to what degree progress is being made by humans and nations in bringing their year-over-year murder rates to zero. Murder also is defined as a death caused by intentionally inflicted violence. Intentional causes of deaths such as firearm violence stand in contrast to unintentional causes of death such as an automobile accident. The emphasis of this page is on humans eradicating the intentional violence-related causes of death.

Summary of All Deaths by Cause for WHO Member States, Year 2004
Cause of Death Estimated Number of Deaths Percent of Deaths
I. Communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions 17,951,264 31%
II. Noncommunicable diseases 34,950,875 60%
III. Injuries 5,524,369 9%
Total Global Deaths for Year 2004 58,426,508 100%
DATA SOURCE:
Death and DALY estimates for 2004 by cause for WHO (World Health Organization) Member States: Persons, All Ages


Summary of All "Injury" Deaths by Cause for WHO Member States, Year 2004
Type of Injury Cause of Death Estimated Number of Deaths Percent of Deaths Percent of All Injury Deaths
1. Unintentional injuries Road traffic accidents 1,272,245 33% 23%
2. Unintentional injuries Poisonings 345,343 9% 6%
3. Unintentional injuries Falls 423,564 11% 8%
4. Unintentional injuries Fires 309,966 8% 6%
5. Unintentional injuries Drownings 387,308 10% 7%
6. Unintentional injuries Other unintentional injuries 1,161,446 30% 21%
A. Total Deaths Unintentional Injuries   3,899,871 100%  
1. Intentional injuries Self-inflicted injuries (suicides) 843,595 52% 15%
2. Intentional injuries Violence (homicides) 598,564 37% 11%
3. Intentional injuries War 182,340 11% 3%
B. Total Deaths Intentional Injuries   1,624,499 100%  
Grand Total Injury Deaths for Year 2004   5,524,369 100%
DATA SOURCE:
Death and DALY estimates for 2004 by cause for WHO (World Health Organization) Member States: Persons, All Ages

A word of caution is in order here. As was noted on the "Ebola Watch 2014" page of this website, social science often is referred to as a dismal science. Social scientists often have to work with incomplete and inconsistent information. Social scientists have to make the most of the data that happens to be available to them. Measuring worldwide incidences of murder represents a case in point where datasets often conflict, are incomplete, or are inconsistent with one another. For instance, when it comes to the USA government, various UN (United Nations) agencies, the European-based OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), and so forth, each (entity) might produce slightly different measures of the number of worldwide murders or measures of the worldwide murder rate for a given year, say, the year 2012. The question, then, becomes this: Is the data reasonable or reliable? You will notice such variances on this page and as you independently research national and global incidences of murder. Although measures of murders and measures of murder rates vary slightly depending on the collecting entity, the variances presented on this page appear to be acceptable in gauging the extent of worldwide murders.

HATRED AND VIOLENCE: SUICIDE ATTACKS/GROUP MURDERS

The following graphic and table explore the human toll of contemporary suicide attacks. The data was derived from the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism's (CPOST) database of suicide attacks. As of May 2015, the CPOST database had logged a total of 4,454 worldwide suicide attacks from the year 1982 through May 2015. The immediate human toll from these 4,454 suicide attacks was 44,464 deaths and 115,380 injuries spanning 45 countries.

When looking at the big picture of all deaths in a given year, some might conclude that 44,464 deaths by suicide attacks over a 34-year period of time, relatively speaking, is not very many deaths. The first table above indicates that there were an estimated 5,524,369 injury-related deaths on Earth in 2004 alone from an estimated total of more than 58,000,000 deaths. The second table above indicates that violence-related deaths accounted for an estimated 598,564 or 11% of all injury-related deaths in 2004. When the 598,564 violence-related deaths in 2004 alone are compared to the 44,464 deaths from suicide attacks over the span of 34 years, it is tempting to conclude that 44,464 deaths from suicide attacks over a period of 34 years are not so many deaths. But, as the saying goes, everything [bad happening in the world] can be rationalized, minimized, or justified until the exact same thing happens to you. In other words, you should treat others the way that you would like to be treated.

Number of Suicide Attacks by Country
Distribution of Suicide Attacks by Country
Data Source for Map: Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST) | The University of Chicago

LEGEND: Number of Suicide Attacks by Country: Years 1982 through 2015
  • = 150 to 1,869 suicide attacks
  • = 85 to 149 suicide attacks
  • = 25 to 84 suicide attacks
  • = 15 to 24 suicide attacks
  • = 8 to 14 suicide attacks
  • = 3 to 7 suicide attacks
  • = 2 to 2.9 suicide attacks
  • = 1 to 1.9 suicide attacks
NOTE: Gray shading = no suicide attacks

Immediately below are tabular and graphical depictions of the 4,454 suicide attacks, 44,464 deaths, and 115,380 injuries by country from 1982 through May 2015.

Suicide Attacks by Country
Count Country of Suicide Attack Number of Attacks Number Murdered Number Injured
1 Afghanistan 1,037 4,642 11,374
2 Algeria 24 281 1,380
3 Argentina 1 85 200
4 Bangladesh 3 13 67
5 Bolivia 1 2 10
6 Bulgaria 1 6 32
7 China 11 61 293
8 Djibouti 1 1 15
9 Egypt 19 238 835
10 Finland 2 6 107
11 India 15 123 243
12 Indonesia 10 252 833
13 Iran 8 160 565
14 Iraq 1,869 19,469 47,997
15 Israel 111 719 4,987
16 Jordan 3 57 120
17 Kazakhstan 1 1 0
18 Kenya 2 213 5,080
19 Kuwait 2 9 73
20 Lebanon 66 1,007 1,767
21 Libya 20 132 218
22 Mali 18 42 96
23 Mauritania 1 0 3
24 Morocco 11 31 107
25 Niger 2 21 30
26 Nigeria 84 1,125 2,465
27 Pakistan 481 6,255 14,590
28 Palestinian Territory, Occupied 59 67 329
29 Qatar 1 1 12
30 Russia 86 782 2,511
31 Saudi Arabia 10 60 539
32 Somalia 85 787 1,024
33 Spain 1 1 3
34 Sri Lanka 115 1,584 3,996
35 Sweden 1 0 2
36 Syria 159 1,948 3,430
37 Tajikistan 2 6 53
38 Tanzania 1 10 74
39 Tunisia 2 21 0
40 Turkey 29 115 1,069
41 Uganda 1 76 60
42 United Kingdom 4 52 780
43 United States 4 2,974 6,304
44 Uzbekistan 6 12 24
45 Yemen 84 1,017 1,683
  Grand Total 4,454 44,464 115,380
DATA SOURCE:
Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST) | The University of Chicago


Suicide Attacks by Country: Number of Attacks
Distribution of Suicide Attacks by Country
Data Source for Map: Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST) | The University of Chicago


Suicide Attacks by Country: Number Murdered
Distribution of Suicide Attacks by Country
Data Source for Map: Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST) | The University of Chicago


Suicide Attacks by Country: Number Injured
Distribution of Suicide Attacks by Country
Data Source for Map: Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST) | The University of Chicago

Whereas the table and three graphics immediately above focus on the countries of the 4,454 suicide attacks from the year 1982 through May 2015, the next two tables provide the years and the alleged principal perpetrators of these 4,454 suicide attacks.

Suicide Attacks by Year
Count Year of Suicide Attack Number of Attacks Number Murdered Number Injured
1 1982 1 115 28
2 1983 5 414 368
3 1984 3 29 49
4 1985 22 259 262
5 1986 3 33 24
6 1987 3 68 137
7 1988 2 7 11
8 1989 2 0 9
9 1990 3 11 3
10 1991 4 80 68
11 1992 1 4 0
12 1993 6 237 102
13 1994 11 218 438
14 1995 19 252 869
15 1996 17 284 1,751
16 1997 9 60 514
17 1998 15 337 5,488
18 1999 20 86 300
19 2000 28 208 502
20 2001 46 3,191 7,421
21 2002 66 588 2,457
22 2003 92 794 3,914
23 2004 174 1,867 5,716
24 2005 354 3,287 8,277
25 2006 337 2,655 5,814
26 2007 524 5,662 13,451
27 2008 414 3,244 7,946
28 2009 307 3,151 9,054
29 2010 283 2,651 7,204
30 2011 257 2,387 6,052
31 2012 291 2,358 6,305
32 2013 446 4,137 9,641
33 2014 541 4,586 8,576
34 2015 thru May 148 1,204 2,629
  Grand Total 4,454 44,464 115,380
DATA SOURCE:
Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST) | The University of Chicago


Suicide Attacks by Alleged Perpetrator
Count Alleged Perpetrator of Suicide Attack Number of Attacks Number Murdered Number Injured
1 Afghan Rebels 1,036 4,640 11,374
2 Al Qaeda 45 3,804 14,388
3 Al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa 27 241 1,081
4 BKI (Babbar Khalsa International) 2 19 32
5 Chechen Separatists 86 782 2,511
6 Egyptian Rebels 13 101 363
7 Hezbollah 44 873 894
8 Indonesian Rebels 9 50 533
9 Iraqi Rebels 1,872 19,526 48,117
10 Isolated Attacks 36 277 1,240
11 Jundullah 6 152 548
12 Kashmiri Rebels 11 85 200
13 Libyan Rebels 20 132 218
14 LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) 116 1,598 3,996
15 Pakistani Rebels 475 6,181 14,421
16 Palestinian Resistance 171 786 5,319
17 PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistane - PKK)] 20 49 337
18 Rebels 367 4,240 8,470
19 Somali Rebels 87 864 1,099
20 Uzbek Rebels 6 12 24
21 Xinjiang Rebels 5 52 215
  Grand Total 4,454 44,464 115,380
DATA SOURCE:
Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST) | The University of Chicago

The suicide bombing phenomenon, much like war, is another one of those perfectly avoidable human-induced tragedies, that is, if only humans would get their act together and free themselves of a murderous mindset. The one thing that is particularly unique, tragic, and terrifying about suicide attacks is this: Completely innocent humans are murdered and wounded with little to no hint that they are about to die or are about to become seriously wounded and perhaps permanently disabled or physically disfigured by an explosion.

Why do humans engage in suicide attacks in the first place? What are the chief motivating factors for suicide attacks? According to a presentation titled "The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism (April 2015)," two salient reasons why humans engage in suicide attacks include these:

  1. "Military Occupation either by foreign government (Israel vs Palestinians) or national government (Sri Lanka vs Tamils) where occupation means the occupied group believes it cannot change the political (and other) institutions governing them.
  2. Religious Difference between the occupier and occupied communities (Jewish occupiers vs Islamic occupied, Buddhist vs Hindu, Shi'a vs Sunni)."

The presentation went on to note that suicide attacks generally are conducted "when there is little prospect of achieving military goals." The presentation further noted that the end game or goal of the suicide attacker is "to inflict pain and the threat of future pain...to induce government to concede to demands, prompt population to pressure government to capitulate." In addition to the redress-of-grievances factor, another factor driving suicide attacks is the revenge factor. That is to say, counter-suicide attacks are launched to avenge the death, injuries, and destruction caused by the attacker's initial suicide attack. Still others engage in suicide attacks because they have grown up in a culture of war and murder. Some children are indoctrinated to hate and to murder at an early age, and murder becomes the only lifestyle that they know as they grow into adulthood.

The following (rather graphic) video shows the human toll of contemporary suicide attacks.

Watch (Afghanistan: Suicide bomber strikes in Jalalabad, 33 reported dead *GRAPHIC*)

Another form of attack upon a group of unsuspecting humans is the mass shooter. The mass shooter can be categorized as being of two types. One type of mass shooter is the [paid] enforcer who is given orders to murder multiple individuals by those in command. The goal is to command the silence or obedience of those targeted for murder. For instance, this first type of mass shooting might be committed by drug cartel members against their perceived enemies, critics, or rivals. The following video presents an example of this first type of mass shooter.

Watch (South Sudan: War Crimes by Both Sides)

The second type of mass shooting usually is committed by a deranged or mentally unstable individual who simply decides to murder a group of people for no apparent reason except perhaps anger and hatred (though some of these mass shootings have been linked to the shooter being repeatedly teased or bullied by others at some point in the past). The following video and link provide more insights into this second type of mass shooter.

Watch (Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School: What Happened During Newtown, Connecticut Shooting?)

Read (A Guide to Mass Shootings in America)

HATRED AND VIOLENCE: INDIVIDUAL/ONE-ON-ONE MURDERS

The following graphic and table present a recap of the extent of global murders, specifically, intentional murders.

2004's Estimated Intentional Death Rate Due to Violence by Country
Data Source for Map: Death and DALY estimates for 2004 by cause for WHO (World Health Organization) Member States: Persons, All Ages

LEGEND: Estimated Intentional Murder Rate Due to Violence by Country: Year 2004 Only
  • = 22.70 to 82.63 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants
  • = 16.20 to 22.69 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants
  • = 11.00 to 16.19 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants
  • = 6.50 to 10.99 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants
  • = 3.25 to 6.49 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants
  • = 1.90 to 3.24 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants
  • = 1.08 to 1.89 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants
  • = 0.00 to 1.07 murders committed for every 100,000 inhabitants


2004's Estimate of Global Deaths Due to Intentional Injuries

Records - of
reset

ID

Country

Estimated Number of Deaths Due to Self-inflicted injuries (Suicides)

Estimated Number of Deaths Due to Violence (Homicides)

Estimated Number of Deaths Due to War

Grand Total Number of Intentional Deaths

Estimated Population as of 2004

Death Rate for Violence-related Deaths Only
1 Afghanistan 1,506 813 1,571 4,093 24,076,394 3.4
2 Albania 238 208 4 460 3,134,402 6.6
3 Algeria 1,169 3,102 1,015 5,287 32,365,777 9.6
4 Andorra 5 1 0 6 72,297 0.8
5 Angola 1,576 6,226 276 8,077 15,635,518 39.8
6 Antigua and Barbuda 2 6 0 8 81,949 7.2
7 Argentina 3,586 2,596 0 6,185 38,371,530 6.8
8 Armenia 121 100 0 220 3,026,880 3.3
9 Australia 2,168 253 0 2,422 20,080,893 1.3
10 Austria 1,465 63 0 1,528 8,253,381 0.8
11 Azerbaijan 107 235 6 348 8,305,938 2.8
12 Bahamas 11 72 0 85 319,331 22.7
13 Bahrain 35 8 0 44 710,194 1.2
14 Bangladesh 18,963 11,744 217 31,408 150,528,248 7.8
15 Barbados 10 44 0 54 290,901 15.2
16 Belarus 3,535 1,007 0 4,543 9,847,821 10.2
17 Belgium 2,101 164 0 2,265 10,359,676 1.6
18 Belize 23 63 0 86 269,408 23.4
19 Benin 316 1,046 0 1,362 8,224,096 12.7
20 Bhutan 84 27 0 114 623,080 4.3
21 Bolivia 163 335 0 497 9,009,042 3.7
22 Bosnia and Herzegovina 513 73 47 634 3,905,325 1.9
23 Botswana 132 390 0 522 1,815,098 21.5
24 Brazil 9,851 57,250 0 67,707 184,317,688 31.1
25 Brunei Darussalam 6 4 0 9 365,697 1.1
26 Bulgaria 1,068 235 2 1,305 7,794,839 3.0
27 Burkina Faso 723 2,448 0 3,171 13,507,101 18.1
28 Burundi 698 2,677 2,057 5,432 7,565,786 35.4
29 Cambodia 615 2,534 127 3,305 13,720,275 18.5
30 Cameroon 867 2,808 0 3,675 17,409,433 16.1
31 Canada 3,830 446 1 4,283 31,955,040 1.4
32 Cape Verde 19 53 0 72 495,171 10.7
33 Central African Republic 372 1,202 951 2,525 4,123,326 29.1
34 Chad 529 1,860 155 2,545 9,810,218 19.0
35 Chile 1,747 861 0 2,608 16,123,813 5.3
36 China 222,211 27,693 0 252,910 1,312,432,576 2.1
37 Colombia 3,509 36,619 8,514 48,880 44,317,342 82.6
38 Comoros 23 72 0 95 777,624 9.3
39 Congo 213 665 0 878 3,529,550 18.8
40 Cook Islands 0 0 0 1 14,346 0.9
41 Costa Rica 352 279 0 631 4,253,037 6.6
42 Croatia 906 85 11 1,002 4,539,880 1.9
43 Cuba 1,589 680 0 2,270 11,246,669 6.0
44 Cyprus 5 2 0 6 826,813 0.2
45 Czech Republic 1,732 136 0 1,870 10,194,511 1.3
46 Cote d'Ivoire 2,614 9,578 3,311 15,503 18,275,380 52.4
47 Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1,104 4,508 0 5,685 23,513,779 19.2
48 Democratic Republic of the Congo 5,205 20,062 16,132 41,399 56,917,956 35.2
49 Denmark 773 52 1 825 5,402,910 1.0
50 Djibouti 37 27 1 73 790,344 3.5
51 Dominica 4 7 0 10 67,999 9.8
52 Dominican Republic 515 1,588 0 2,103 9,324,631 17.0
53 Ecuador 1,056 3,042 3 4,101 12,917,363 23.6
54 Egypt 1,134 912 0 2,457 71,550,016 1.3
55 El Salvador 500 2,561 13 3,074 6,576,008 38.9
56 Equatorial Guinea 35 113 0 148 472,869 24.0
57 Eritrea 215 693 49 957 4,353,527 15.9
58 Estonia 339 120 3 461 1,348,345 8.9
59 Ethiopia 4,550 14,894 297 19,740 76,995,400 19.3
60 Fiji 23 6 0 29 822,889 0.7
61 Finland 1,093 134 0 1,227 5,231,166 2.6
62 France 11,579 501 1 12,081 60,623,894 0.8
63 Gabon 76 218 0 294 1,270,135 17.1
64 Gambia 69 212 0 281 1,570,674 13.5
65 Georgia 87 166 46 301 4,516,983 3.7
66 Germany 11,630 570 1 12,204 82,627,588 0.7
67 Ghana 906 2,555 0 3,461 22,056,907 11.6
68 Greece 351 97 0 448 11,079,234 0.9
69 Grenada 3 5 0 8 104,532 4.9
70 Guatemala 393 5,101 0 5,496 12,396,584 41.2
71 Guinea 444 1,531 0 1,975 8,832,770 17.3
72 Guinea-Bissau 74 253 0 326 1,548,975 16.3
73 Guyana 249 168 0 417 738,994 22.7
74 Haiti 111 482 1,750 2,344 9,149,268 5.3
75 Honduras 435 1,384 0 1,823 6,702,291 20.6
76 Hungary 2,727 222 1 2,950 10,113,272 2.2
77 Iceland 35 3 0 38 292,903 1.0
78 India 188,524 61,229 5,221 259,665 1,116,985,088 5.5
79 Indonesia 23,986 20,100 2,779 47,428 223,224,912 9.0
80 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 4,190 1,742 0 6,158 68,669,128 2.5
81 Iraq 4,200 2,016 55,650 62,491 27,455,766 7.3
82 Ireland 503 30 0 533 4,067,737 0.7
83 Israel 403 312 117 834 6,573,979 4.7
84 Italy 4,172 559 7 4,738 58,474,754 1.0
85 Jamaica 106 899 0 1,007 2,665,296 33.7
86 Japan 31,747 686 0 32,436 127,798,084 0.5
87 Jordan 10 369 3 416 5,370,712 6.9
88 Kazakhstan 4,311 2,444 0 6,755 15,106,857 16.2
89 Kenya 2,188 7,221 360 9,770 34,674,708 20.8
90 Kiribati 0 6 0 6 90,413 6.5
91 Kuwait 48 36 0 85 2,617,002 1.4
92 Kyrgyzstan 600 443 2 1,045 5,152,508 8.6
93 Lao People's Democratic Republic 1,143 299 60 1,520 5,573,534 5.4
94 Latvia 607 236 2 845 2,315,283 10.2
95 Lebanon 224 99 212 558 3,964,890 2.5
96 Lesotho 102 260 0 363 1,965,820 13.2
97 Liberia 146 562 2,019 2,727 3,348,480 16.8
98 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 261 171 0 455 5,799,484 3.0
99 Lithuania 1,477 313 0 1,790 3,440,158 9.1
100 Luxembourg 66 5 0 72 452,421 1.2
101 Madagascar 669 2,128 0 2,797 18,134,705 11.7
102 Malawi 737 2,318 6 3,062 12,893,862 18.0
103 Malaysia 1,768 2,358 0 4,164 25,191,445 9.4
104 Maldives 40 5 0 45 290,587 1.8
105 Mali 598 2,029 0 2,627 11,264,724 18.0
106 Malta 21 3 0 25 400,124 0.9
107 Marshall Islands 3 1 0 4 55,556 1.9
108 Mauritania 138 438 2 578 2,882,190 15.2
109 Mauritius 109 33 0 142 1,230,577 2.7
110 Mexico 4,195 9,591 0 13,786 103,337,892 9.3
111 Micronesia (Federated States of) 3 1 0 4 109,398 0.8
112 Monaco 4 0 0 5 32,394 1.0
113 Mongolia 293 83 0 444 2,556,662 3.2
114 Morocco 613 328 0 1,077 30,151,790 1.1
115 Mozambique 1,286 4,066 14 5,366 20,078,144 20.3
116 Myanmar 4,714 7,478 4,424 16,800 47,565,494 15.7
117 Namibia 93 255 32 380 1,993,833 12.8
118 Nauru 0 1 0 2 10,092 12.0
119 Nepal 2,622 3,617 5,550 11,877 26,553,884 13.6
120 Netherlands 1,562 200 3 1,766 16,263,535 1.2
121 New Zealand 511 55 0 566 4,050,277 1.4
122 Nicaragua 586 821 5 1,413 5,393,594 15.2
123 Niger 755 2,587 5 3,346 12,807,898 20.2
124 Nigeria 6,950 24,477 5,100 36,527 138,001,088 17.7
125 Niue 0 0 0 0 1,666 1.1
126 Norway 534 38 0 572 4,608,551 0.8
127 Oman 95 51 0 147 2,478,647 2.1
128 Pakistan 15,995 5,521 5,182 27,108 155,332,704 3.6
129 Palau 1 0 0 1 20,025 0.9
130 Panama 207 388 0 605 3,175,357 12.2
131 Papua New Guinea 578 900 0 1,499 5,935,006 15.2
132 Paraguay 304 994 0 1,298 5,793,046 17.2
133 Peru 422 835 0 1,258 26,958,551 3.1
134 Philippines 1,395 17,486 1,835 20,941 82,867,924 21.1
135 Poland 6,492 617 14 7,126 38,246,730 1.6
136 Portugal 1,172 179 0 1,350 10,471,588 1.7
137 Qatar 24 8 0 32 764,286 1.0
138 Republic of Korea 14,265 1,047 57 15,393 47,683,974 2.2
139 Republic of Moldova 695 320 0 1,015 3,925,170 8.2
140 Romania 2,771 708 0 3,479 21,725,785 3.3
141 Russian Federation 52,841 42,918 8,146 103,905 144,695,560 29.7
142 Rwanda 698 2,405 500 3,603 9,052,266 26.6
143 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 5 0 5 48,508 10.9
144 Saint Lucia 12 34 0 48 159,423 21.6
145 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 10 19 0 29 118,501 15.8
146 Samoa 7 2 0 9 182,508 1.1
147 San Marino 2 0 0 2 29,641  
148 Sao Tome and Principe 11 8 0 19 150,120 5.4
149 Saudi Arabia 1,450 743 150 2,454 23,046,973 3.2
150 Senegal 544 1,632 702 2,878 11,472,436 14.2
151 Serbia and Montenegro 1,993 284 67 2,346 10,516,739 2.7
152 Seychelles 8 3 0 11 84,832 3.3
153 Sierra Leone 475 1,832 0 2,307 5,390,369 34.0
154 Singapore 511 55 0 592 4,274,117 1.3
155 Slovakia 757 107 3 867 5,386,700 2.0
156 Slovenia 564 41 0 608 1,997,206 2.0
157 Solomon Islands 11 7 0 18 460,860 1.6
158 Somalia 1,990 265 4,680 6,965 7,954,158 3.3
159 South Africa 6,609 32,303 5 39,112 47,540,928 67.9
160 Spain 3,575 600 192 4,368 42,795,448 1.4
161 Sri Lanka 5,370 1,312 962 7,644 19,040,092 6.9
162 Sudan 2,795 10,320 31,388 44,695 36,145,242 28.6
163 Suriname 87 56 0 143 449,579 12.4
164 Swaziland 86 235 0 321 1,114,134 21.1
165 Sweden 1,239 111 0 1,352 8,997,689 1.2
166 Switzerland 1,333 68 0 1,400 7,392,067 0.9
167 Syrian Arab Republic 97 476 0 572 18,389,225 2.6
168 Tajikistan 139 143 86 367 6,467,378 2.2
169 Thailand 6,400 4,409 645 11,469 62,565,068 7.0
170 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 176 106 809 1,091 2,030,308 5.2
171 Timor-Leste 72 119 0 193 1,013,363 11.7
172 Togo 252 833 0 1,085 6,070,843 13.7
173 Tonga 3 1 0 4 98,992 0.6
174 Trinidad and Tobago 198 181 0 386 1,319,143 13.7
175 Tunisia 314 164 0 526 9,995,698 1.6
176 Turkey 2,627 2,096 0 4,724 72,024,776 2.9
177 Turkmenistan 516 421 0 937 4,766,006 8.8
178 Tuvalu 1 0 0 1 10,399 2.0
179 Uganda 1,922 7,057 7,088 16,067 28,027,591 25.2
180 Ukraine 12,713 5,653 20 18,387 47,281,800 12.0
181 United Arab Emirates 70 19 0 89 3,947,129 0.5
182 United Kingdom 4,708 1,210 42 5,962 59,964,948 2.0
183 United Republic of Tanzania 2,861 9,790 108 12,759 37,508,002 26.1
184 United States of America 33,274 17,647 900 52,195 296,843,888 5.9
185 Uruguay 554 161 0 714 3,323,916 4.8
186 Uzbekistan 1,559 921 40 2,591 26,208,820 3.5
187 Vanuatu 6 2 0 9 209,918 1.2
188 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 1,386 10,295 0 12,372 26,260,316 39.2
189 Viet Nam 8,365 3,165 30 11,667 83,839,480 3.8
190 Yemen 1,075 510 500 2,276 20,477,920 2.5
191 Zambia 790 2,582 3 3,375 11,269,795 22.9
192 Zimbabwe 1,242 4,284 50 5,576 13,025,234 32.9
  GRAND TOTAL ALL COUNTRIES 843,595 598,564 182,340 1,639,082 6,425,275,321  
Entries Per Page
Page of


Credit for Data in Table Above:
  1. Death and DALY estimates for 2004 by cause for WHO (World Health Organization) Member States: Persons, All Ages
See Also:
  1. Watch (knoema.com | UNODC International Homicide Statistics, 2014)


2004's Top 50 of 192 Countries: Estimated Death Rate by Violence Per 100,000 Inhabitants
Top 50 of 192 Countries: 2004's Death Rate by Violence Per 100,000 Inhabitants
Data Source for Graph: Death and DALY estimates for 2004 by cause for WHO (World Health Organization) Member States: Persons, All Ages


Estimated Intentional Homicides (Per 100,000 People)

The following video and link illustrate the human toll of contemporary one-on-one murders—and suicides.

Watch ('America's Next Top Model' Contestant Mirjana Puhar Dead -- Dies in Triple Homicide)

Read [National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS): Stories from the Frontlines of Violent Death Surveillance]

The next question becomes this: Why do humans engage in the practice of murder? There is a great deal of debate surrounding this question. The debate goes back to the Nature vs Nurture argument. That is to say, are there certain inborn biological or genetical traits or markers (or Nature) that lead some humans to commit murders, or does a certain cultural and societal environment of violence and hatred (or Nurture) lead some humans to become comfortable with committing murders?

Studies such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)'s study titled "2011 Global Study on Homicide: Trends, Contexts, Data" suggest that some underlying factors causing humans to commit murder include:

  • Personal disputes and vendettas between acquaintances, friends, relatives, siblings, and partners/spouses
  • Work-related disputes
  • Murder in the commission of an individual crime such as robbery, theft, or break-in
  • Organized crime activities/disputes/shootings
  • Drug trafficking/disputes/shootings
  • Gang-related activities/disputes/shootings
  • Sex crimes such as the murdering of prostitutes by their patrons
  • Aggression due to mental impairment, for instance, substance abuse-related aggression

The question to follow becomes this: Why is it that some humans cannot seem to contain their emotions such that the above underlying factors do not lead them to commit murder? Why do humans not choose any other option to resolve their conflicts except murder?

MURDER IS WRONG

Global Study on Homicide, 2019 Edition | Booklet 1: Executive Summary | United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Press the "Esc" key to exit full screen mode

As murders relate to the practice of suicide attacks, broadly speaking, the typical courses of action have been either to go war against the attackers and/or to engage in diplomacy and compromise with the attackers. As I concluded on both the "War and Peace" and "Guns and Bombs" pages of this website, humans (both the real or perceived victimizers and the real or perceived victimized) have got to find a way to talk to one another and to peacefully resolve their disputes. Diplomacy is a win-win strategy because everyone gets to walk away with something they want if not with everything they want. Most importantly, everyone gets to live to see another day, and humankind does not go extinct due to their inability to reach an understanding. Diplomacy is not always easy. Diplomacy is not always perfect. Solutions to problems are not always simple. Yet, humans have got to find a way to build and foster a lasting trust across all barriers such as race, nationality, and religion.

As murders relate to the practice of one-on-one murder, courses of actions to counteract and eradicate these individual acts of murder are not as straigthforward as, say, measures to stop the practice of suicide attacks. The underlying causes of an individual murder would determine the course of action. Different courses of action would be required to eradicate, say, interpersonal murders compared to, say, drug trafficking-related murders. Courses of action would vary from place to place, too. For instance, a different strategy would be needed to eradicate murders in a country where firearms are the weapons of choice to commit murders versus a country where, say, knives are the prevailing weapons used to commit murders. Different courses of action would be required to eradicate interpersonal murders, say, if it turns out that genetics (Nature) is the predominant determinant over environment (Nurture).

A key difference between individual murders and murders by way of suicide attacks is this: In the case of individual murders, generally speaking, the murder is a one-on-one event, or is an interpersonal type of murder. That is to say, the target of the murder generally is someone against whom the murderer is directly aggrieved for whatever reason. In the case of suicide attacks, usually innocent citizens randomly are targeted for murder for no apparent reason (except perhaps the murderers are indirectly attempting to anger or get the attention of the real target of their wrath such as a national government).

Suicide attacks typically are religiously or politically inspired and have a self-determination/power component driving them. Individual, one-on-one murders generally have an interpersonal or have money, greed, jealousy, and jilted types of components driving them. It is a sad commentary on the human condition to know that, for some humans, murder is both a profession and a lifestyle.

Among other things, WHO's 2010 publication titled "Injuries Violence: The Facts," noted that as of 2004 "3 times more people die each year from homicide than from war-related injury." WHO's report also noted that homicides accounted for roughly 11% of all injury-related deaths as compared to other injury-related causes of death (such as traffic accidents at 23%; suicides at 15%; falls at 8%; drownings at 7% of the injury-related deaths, and so forth). To be sure, based on WHO's 2004 data, death by committing suicide is a more serious human problem than death by committing homicide. It further should be noted that most homicides and most suicides are committed with a firearm.

The savagery and barbarity associated with contemporary suicide attacks are not a phenomenon that is unique to contemporary humans. These kinds of attacks most definitely are not a phenomenon that is unique to the followers of Islam. Human history is filled to the rim with examples of human savagery, depravity, and barbarity. The article titled "7 Terrifying Historical Figures" barely scratches the surface or only examines a tiny, tiny fraction of these kinds of sadistic and atrocious acts of depravity, torture, murder, and incivility fostered by humans against one another. These horrendous kinds of activities have occurred across Earth throughout the course of human history. The time has come for these horrendous kinds of activities to stop.

Moving beyond the causes and effects of both suicide bombing/group murders and one-on-one/individual murders, the broader question becomes this: What is the solution? What can be done to bring this type of human-induced madness to an end? What will it take to convince humans to stop engaging in these kinds of unholy, inhumane, and uncivil acts and practices? WHO's 2010 publication titled Injuries Violence: The Facts offers some remedies. Some common denominators between all murders appear to be power, greed, envy, revenge, jealously, mental instability, cultural upbringing, belief systems, and related social-psychological-national dimensions. So, it seems that ultimate solutions would need to focus on persuading or convincing humans to change their attitudes and dispositions towards murder.

Moving forward into the future, the time has come for a different way to prevail on Earth. This different way is characterized by peace on Earth and goodwill between humans. It is characterized by courtesy and mutual respect between humans. It is a human future of no more wars and no more murders. It is a human future of Heaven on Earth for the living to enjoy each day. For, whether it is a group murder or an individual murder, the bottom-line is this: Murder is wrong.

LIFE IS GOOD: CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE, AND ENJOY YOUR BRIEF LIFE SPAN ON EARTH

If murder is wrong and death is bad, then life is good. No matter how controversial, uncomfortable, sensitive, or depressing the topic of discussion has been, it has become somewhat of a tradition for me to conclude a given page on this website on a positive, upbeat, joyous, celebratory, or hopeful note. In a departure from tradition, I wish to conclude this page on a more somber note. The somberness here is meant to signify the fact that murder is wrong. The somberness here is meant to reiterate the point that murder is wrong. As the 22nd century approaches, humans must abandon the outmoded and antiquated practice of murdering one another. A brave new world awaits if humans simply would cease it or make it so.

Watch (Stevie Wonder, Love's In Need of Love Today)

Watch (Black-Eyed Peas, Where Is The Love?)

Watch (Foreigner, I Want To Know What Love Is)

Watch (Lionel Ritchie, Love Will Find A Way)

The next bloc of pictures illustrates that there is a whole lot more to life on Earth than humans murdering one another. As I have indicated elsewhere on this website, humans have a mighty good thing going on Earth. Humans ought to pause, reflect, and show more gratitude for this mighty good thing known as life. Humans must learn to live and let live. Humans must learn to appreciate their brief life span on Earth.

Space Shuttle and Crew Lost During Re-Entry left to right, David M. Brown, Rick D. Husband, Laurel B. Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Michael P. Anderson, William C. McCool, and Ilan Ramon (Credit: STS-107 Crew, NASA) Atlantis Reflection (Credit: NASA, Bill Ingalls) The Flight Deck of Space Shuttle Endeavour (Image Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper (Launch Photography), Spaceflight Now) The Last Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour (Credit: NASA) Space Shuttle Rising (Credit: NASA) The International Space Station Over Earth (Credit: STS-128 Crew, NASA) Space Shuttle and Space Station Photographed Together (Credit: NASA) A Busy Space Walk at the Space Station (ISS Expedition 28 Crew, STS-135 Crew, NASA) To Fly Free in Space (Credit: STS-41B, NASA) Atlantis' Last Approach (Credit: ISS Expedition 28 Crew, STS-135 Crew, NASA) The Earth and Moon Planetary System (Credit: Northwestern University, JPL, NASA) 50 Years Ago: Yuri's Planet (Credit: ISS Expedition 7 Crew, EOL, NASA) Blue Marble Earth from Suomi NPP (Credit: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring) Ripples Through a Dark Sky [Credit & Copyright: P-M Heden (Clear Skies, TWAN)] Starry Night over Dubai [Credit & Copyright: Babak Tafreshi (TWAN)] Shuttle Enterprise Over New York (Credit: NASA, Bill Ingalls) Earth's Shrinking Antarctic Ice Sheet [Credit: Ben Holt Sr. (South Pasadena, CA), GRACE team, DLR, NASA)] A Space Shuttle Over Los Angeles (Image Credit & Copyright: Stephen Confer) Endeavour's Final Flight Ends at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2012 (Credit: NASA/Matt Hedges) The Sun Unleashed (NASA / Goddard / SDO AIA Team) Eight Planets and New Solar System Designations (Credit: International Astronomical Union) Spiral Galaxy M74 [Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration] Galaxy Abell 1689's 'Gravitational Lens' Magnifies Light of Distant Galaxies [Credit: NASA, N. Benitez (JHU), T. Broadhurst (Racah Institute of Physics/The Hebrew University), H. Ford (JHU), M. Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), G. Illingworth (UCO/Lick Observatory), the ACS Science Team and ESA] NASA's Hubble Looks to the Final Frontier (Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Lotz (STScI))

The time has come for humans to stop destroying the world. The time has come for humans to start rebuilding their home, Mother Earth. Humans are capable of attaining far greater things in life than walking around Earth each day and murdering one another. Humans have got to find a way to free themselves from a mindset that commands them to wake up daily and commence to murdering one another. The time has come for a state of Heaven on Earth to prevail each day.




NOTE: Please view your browser's page source for a list of resources used to create this page (generally, by right clicking the mouse).

SEARCH THIS SITE:

FLATTER THIS SITE: