Which Developed Country Has the Highest Rate of Death from Accidents?

The developed country that has the highest rate of death from accidents is South Korea, with almost 13% of its deaths being accidental. The average per year is about 31,000 lives lost, with about 3,000 of those being students. South Korea also has experienced more instances of accidents that are beyond the more common vehicle accidents of other developed countries. These include ferry boat accidents, gas explosions, plane crashes and bridges or buildings. This high accident rate is thought to be the result of the country’s lack of governmental safety regulations for public transportation, building codes and other potentially dangerous activities. All of this has led to South Korea being referred to as “the land of disasters.”

More about accident death rates:

  • The southern African country of Namibia has the highest rate of vehicle fatalities, at about 45 deaths for every 100,000 people, according to 2014 findings.

  • More than 1 million people every year die while working at their jobs.

  • After motor vehicle accidents, the most likely accidental death in the US is unintentional poisoning.
More Info: who.int

Discussion Comments

Chmander

@Viranty - Even though you make some very good points, the second bullet point actually leads me to believe that a lot of people who die while working at their jobs are police officers. In fact, think of it this way.

If you live in a quiet and peaceful town, crime doesn't go on much, and you're generally safe. However, if you work in downtown Chicago or on the south side, that's a completely different story.

Every day when you leave for work and say goodbye to your wife and kids, it could be the last time you see them.

Viranty

The second bullet point really caught my attention. Considering how so many people per year die from working at their jobs, I'm assuming it refers to some of the more dangerous jobs, correct? For example, obviously no one is going to die if they're teaching a class. However, if someone has a job working at a mine, or as a construction worker, that's another story. You always run the risk of getting injured or trapped.

Euroxati

To be perfectly honest, I'm quite surprised that South Korea doesn't have very good transportation, which is also disappointing. Though it's a good thing to have public transportation, it's even better to have rules and regulations. Failure of this can lead to many accidents, as South Korea perfectly shows.

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