Risk of dying abroad
Bottom line
The odds of dying whilst abroad for a US citizen in 2007, were 1 in 449,510. The highest risk was as a result of an automobile accident (1 in 2,250,904) and the lowest risk was of execution (1 in 100,540,386).
Data sources
US Department of State (http://travel.state.gov/law/family_issues/death/death_594.html)
US Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html)
What the sources tell us
The total number of non-natural deaths of US citizens abroad in 2007 was 671:
- 134 deaths as a result of automobile accidents
- 109 deaths by drowning
- 108 homicides
- 98 suicides
- 32 deaths as a result of motorcycle accidents
- 26 deaths as a result of air accidents
- 23 deaths related to drugs
- 12 deaths of pedestrians
- 11 deaths as a result of bus accidents
- 9 deaths as a result of terrorist action
- 6 deaths as a result of maritime accidents
- 3 executions
The total number of US citizens in 2007 was 301,621,157
Give us the odds
The odds of an average US citizen dying abroad from a non-natural cause are 1 in 449,510, made up of:
- the odds of dying in an automobile accident are 1 in 2,250,904
- the odds of drowning are 1 in 2,767,167
- the odds of being a victim of homicide are 1 in 2,792,788
- the odds of successfully committing suicide are 1 in 3,077,767
- the odds of dying in a motorcycle accident are 1 in 9,425,661
- the odds of dying in an air accident are 1 in 11,600,814
- the odds of a drug related death are 1 in 13,113,963
- the odds of dying as a pedestrian are 1 in 25,135,096
- the odds of dying in a bus accident 1 in 27,420,105
- the odds of dying as a result of terrorist action are 1 in 33,513,462
- the odds of dying in a maritime accident are 1 in 50,270,193
- the odds of being executed are 1 in 100,540,386
Annual risk of death abroad for US citizen
Risk Communication Tool (c) John Paling 2000 (www.riskcomm.com)
Comment
These were the only easily available data we could find to try to answer this question, posed by a reader. There are a number of caveats. First, these figures do not include casualties of war. Again, the data are for the USA, where a surprisingly small proportion of the population travels abroad, especially compared with western European countries, where not only do many more people travel abroad, but many more older people travel.
Citizens of the United States should travel more, perhaps. Certainly there is little to be feared from the risk of dying. Lounging at home probably has no less risk. The range of risks from death in a road traffic accident to that of death by execution are way at the bottom of the risk scale.