Letters for George: Death Stats and Factoids

Dear George,

Death is on my mind a lot these days. It’s because of the pandemic. I wind up thinking, ‘Every day is going to be the same, and then I will die.” So I’ve been looking into death lately. It’s definitely more interesting than I thought. Though I’m still not enthusiastic, I can see it is one of life’s really big events.

Love,

Dave

How many people born in Sweden in 1875 (my grandfather’s year of birth) went on to die?

There were 135,558 births in Sweden in 1875, and 135,558 of those Swedes are now dead. No slippage. (17)

Altogether how many people have died in human history?

Roughly 100 billion deaths since Homo Sapiens appeared over 200,000 years ago. (9)

Nowadays how many people die each year?

According to the Population Reference Bureau, about 8 out of every 1,000 people die each year. (4) Globally that’s about 150,000 per day. (24)

What are the main causes of death in the U.S.?

2,839,205 people died in the U.S. in 2018 (the most recent year for which data is available). About 74% of these deaths occurred as a result of 10 causes (which have remained fairly constant in recent years).

1. Heart disease: 655,381 (23.1%)

2. Cancer: 599,274 (21.1%)

3. Accidents: 167,5.9%)

4. Chronic low respiratory disease (lung diseases): 159,486 (5.6%)

5. Stroke and cerebrovascular diseases: 147,810 (5.2%)

6. Alzheimer’s disease: 122,019 (4.3%)

7. Diabetes: 84,946 (3%)

8. Influenza and pneumonia: 59,120 (2.1%)

9. Kidney disease: 51,386 (1.8%)

10. Suicide: 48,344 (1.7%) (14)

What is the worst way to die?

According to ranker.com, one of the worst ways is being trapped in a falling elevator. Because your internal organs tend to keep moving upon impact, they can tear out from the bottom of your body. Your head, however, remains farthest away from the point of impact, meaning you may survive long enough to see your insides make their way outside. (16)

What are the most common methods of suicide?

Worldwide, the most common methods are hanging, poisoning by pesticides, and firearms. Other common methods are jumping from a height, drug overdoses, and drowning. (25)

How painful is death typically?

Thanks to palliative care, pain and other symptoms (e.g., fatigue, insomnia, breathing issues) actually improve as people move closer to death. Over 85% of palliative care patients have no severe symptoms by the time that they die. (20)

Can doctors help one to die?

Assisted suicide is legal in Washington, Oregon, California, Vermont, and Montana. (9)

How many people die because of medical errors?

About 440,000 people die every years from preventable medical mistakes. (15)

What is your life expectancy if you are 70 years old? 80 years old?

Life expectancy in the U.S. at age 70 in 14.4 years for males and 16.6 years for females. At age 80, life expectancy is 8.3 years for males and 9.7 years for females. (19)

Will I live longer because I am left-handed?

Left handed people die 3 years earlier than right handed people. (18)

How many people live to age 116?

About one out of every two billion people live to 116 or older. (8)

How has the lifespan changed in the U.S.?

In 1900 people lived to an average of 47 years; this increased to age 68 by 1950 and 77 in 2000. (24)

What is the strangest death of a famous historical figure?

The ancient Greek philosopher Chrysippus died in a fit of laughter when he saw a drunken donkey try to eat some figs. (3)

How many people die from smoking?

According to the CDC, cigarette smoking kills over 480,000 Americans each year. (5)

How many people die from drug overdoses?

Overdose death rates in the U.S. have steadily increased from 38,329 in 2010 to 67,367 in 2018. (7)

How many Americans die from dog bites?

There are about 4.7 million dog bite victims annually in the U.S.; about 365,000 are treated in emergency rooms; and 34 die, most of them children who were bitten in the face. (13)

How many people die from falling out of bed?

About 600 Americans die each year from falling out of bed. (6)

Are icicles dangerous?

About 100 Russians are killed each year when sharp icicles fall from rooftops and land on pedestrians. (13)

Does texting while driving kill people?

About 6,000 Americans die each year in accidents in which they are texting while driving. (13)

How many Americans die from lightning strikes?

An average of 49 people die from lightening each year in the U.S. (23)

How many die from shark attacks?

On average twelve people die worldwide from a shark attack each year. (By way of comparison, humans kill about 100 million sharks and rays each year, mostly through commercial fishing). (22)

How many people are killed by hippopotamuses?

Hippos, who are aggressive and unpredictable creatures, kill 2,900 people per year in Africa. (13)

What about roller coasters?

Americans take about 900 million rides a year. About 4 people die annually. (13)

What is the deadliest war battle in history?

1,971,000 casualties occurred in the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43) between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. (92)

Are there dead bodies on Mount Everest?

There are over 200 corpses of failed climbers frozen on Mount Everest. (12)

How many people go to Heaven after they die?

89% of women and 69% of men think they will go to Heaven. (2) However, based on clues in the Bible, the website 88c.com estimates that only 2.5% of deceased people will go to Heaven, while 97.5% will go somewhere else. (1)

Are there any living organisms that are immortal?

There is a type of jellyfish (turritopsis nutricula) that lives forever by reverting back to the polyp stage after reaching maturity. (11)

SOURCES:

(1) 888c.com, “How Many Will Be in Heaven?”;

(2) abcnews.com, “Poll: Elbow Room No Problem in Heaven”;

(3) allthatsinteresting.com, “The strange deaths of 16 historic and famous figures”;

(4) buzzfeed.com, “31 Strange and Disturbing Facts About Death”;

(5) cdc.gov, “Burden of Cigarette Use in the U.S.”;

(6) content.time.com, “How Americans are Living Dangerously”;

(7) drugabuse.gov, “Overdose Death Rates”;

(8) dyingmatters.org, “Interesting facts about dying”;

(9) fact slides.com, “Death Facts”;