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Matters of Scale - The Deadly Century

The Deadly Century


Estimated number of people who died during the 20th century, all causes 4.13 billion

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Estimated deaths from smallpox300 million
From influenza 20-100 million

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From war, genocide, tyranny, and manmade famine 188 million

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From smoking 90 million
From AIDS 11.7 million

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From homicide 8.5 million

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From natural disasters 3.5 million

 

SOURCES: Multiple sources, compiled in Matthew White, Historical Atlas of the TwentiethCentury, http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat2.htm.

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Published in World Watch Magazine, September/October 2007, Volume 20, No. 5