What's the risk of death from terrorism, spiders, snakes and sharks?

We fear these things but are they really a serious problem? Here's the answer pulling data from official sources.

Causes of death - Top 30 causes 2005 USA (Some additional data 2014)
(Scroll or click for the unlikely causes)

Source: National Vital Statistics - Deaths: Final Data for 2005 / 2014

Rank
Cause of death
Percentage of total deaths 2005
Percentage of total deaths 2014
1 Heart disease
26.6
23.4
2 Cancer
22.9
22.5
3 Stroke & other vascular disease
5.9
5.1
4 Respiratory disease
5.3
5.6
5 Accidents - All types
4.8
5.2
6 Diabetes
3.1
2.9
7 Alzheimer's disease
2.9
3.6
8 Accidents - Non transport
2.8
 
9 Flu and pneumonia
2.6
2.1
10 Accidents - Transport
2.0
 
11 Kidney disease
1.8
1.2
12 Septicemia
1.4
 
13 Suicide
1.3
1.6
14 Liver disease
1.1
1.5
15 High blood pressure
1.0
1.2
16 Accidents - Poisoning or exposure to harmful substances
1.0
 
17 Accidents - Falls
0.8
 
18 Parkinson’s disease
0.8
1.0
19 Homicide
0.7
1.3
20 HIV/AIDS
0.5
 
21 Birth defects
0.4
 
22 Infectious and parasitic diseases
0.3
 
23 Anemia
0.2
 
24 Asthma
0.2
 
25 Accidents - Drowning
0.15
 
26 Ulcers

0.14

 
27 Nutritional deficiencies
0.13
 
28 Complications of medical and surgical care
0.11
 
29 Hernia
0.07
 
30 Hodgkin's disease
0.05
 

Unlikely causes of death - How likely are you to die because of...

The table shows risk of death in your lifetime unless otherwise stated.

Rank
Cause of death
Odds 1 in:
1
Death in pregnancy In Europe per birth
1,895
2
Death at work. Agricultural workers
3,425
3
Death at work. Mining
3,534
4
Death in pregnancy In North America per birth
3,750
5
Death at Home. All people all risks
7,875
6
Suicide by firearm USA
16,831
7
Accident - Car occupant
17,625
8
Infants - Mechanical suffocation
18,970
9
Infants - Motor vehicle (traffic)
22,075
10
Death at Home - Falls
23,162
11
Assault by firearm USA
24,342
12
Death at work. All workers
28,571
13
Death at Home - Poisoning
30,288
14
Death at work. Professional & Business services
34,483
15
Overdose of narcotics and hallucinogens
34,843
16
Infants - Fire and Flames
35,211
17
Various medicaments and biologics
41,828
18
suicide by hanging or self-strangulation
44,559
19
Infants - Drowning
46,948
20
Pedestrian
47,273
21
Suicide by poisoning
52,487
22
Infants -Inhalation of non-food object
57,142
23
Accident - Occupant  of pick-up truck or van
67,182
24
Death from Choking
70,000
25
Drowning - All causes
83,534
26
Accidental poisoning
86,313
27
Death at home - Fires
87,500
28
Accident - Motor Cycle Rider
89,562
29
Fire - all causes
91,149
30
Complications by medical and surgical care
101,281
31
Uncontrolled fire in building
113,676
32
Assault by sharp object
138,834
33
Death at work. Financial activities
142,858
34
Falling from stairs or steps
180,188
35
In natural water
217,314
36
Riding horse or animal drawn vehicle
244,180
37
Anti-epileptic sedative-hypnotic etc
281,193
38
Hit by some object unintentionally
333,265
39
Food- in respiratory tract (Choking)
351,577
40
Falling from bed, chair or furniture
366,804
41
Pedal Cyclist
375,412
42
Inhaling gases and vapors
416,702
43
From air and space accidents
440,951
44
Contact with machinery
441,628
45
Tripping/slipping at same level
445,729
46
Excessive natural cold
445,729
47
In swimming pool
452,738
48
While on water transportation
466,679
49
Falling out of building
516,950
50
Suffocation in bed
565,700
51
Traveling in heavy transport vehicle
631,450
52
Falling from ladder or scaffolding
709,215
53
Child abduction murder
730,008
54
Alcohol
811,102
55
In bath tub
818,015
56
Excessive natural heat
822,689
57
Electrocution (non transmission lines)
894,227
58
Strangulation
969,499
59
Drowning or submersion
1,111,742
60
Accidental firearm discharge
1,184,943
61
Pain relievers anti-rheumatics etc
1,297,033
62
Occupant of agricultural vehicle
1,932,491
63
Explosion of other materials
2,101,781
64
Accidental hanging or strangulation
2,164,927
65
Overexertion travel and privation
2,249,541
66
Caught between 2 objects
2,503,837
67
Electric transmission lines
2,641,663
68
Contact with sharp objects
2,742,297
69
Falling from high place
2,795,546
70
Bitten by mammals other than dogs
3,839,216
71
Legal execution!
4,297,630
72
From lightning strikes
4,326,748
73
From cataclysmic storm
4,570,498
74
Cave-in or falling earth
5,051,600
75
Stung by hornets, wasps and bees
5,332,245
76
Occupant  of a bus
6,696,307
77
Contact with hot tap water
7,198,531
78
Controlled fire in building
8,226,892
79
From earthquakes
9,288,426
80
9,300,000
81
While on railway train
10,283,615
82
Explosion of pressurized vessels
10,664,490
83
Struck by a person
11,074,662
84
Bitten by a dog
15,966,734
85
Bitten or stung by insect
22,149,325
86
Ignition of nightwear
22,149,325
87
Excessive  man-made heat or cold
28,784,122
88
Contact with venomous spiders
28,794,122
89
From Floods
31,993,469
90
Unintentional firearms discharge
57,588,244
91
Explosion of fireworks
57,588,244
92
Killed while occupant of street car
71,985,305
93
Contact with venomous snakes
95,980,407
94 Killed by a vending machine 112,000,000
95
Shark attack
264,100,000
96
Rabies - in USA
880,000,000
97
killed by a meteor
765,000,000,000,000,000

Now how about that. Your own government is twice as likely to execute you than a terrorist is! Terrorism has killed 250,000 since 2000. Awful you might think and a tragedy if a family member is affected BUT that's less than 0.004% of the world population. We spend a fortune on anti-terrorist action. What would the effect be if instead we spent that on heart disease research?

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