The United States had a higher death rate per capita in 1970 than the Soviet Union, with 9.4 deaths per thousand people compared to 8.2 respectively. This would change in the subsequent decades, however, as the U.S.' death rate would fall to roughly 8.7 deaths per thousand people, compared with an increase to 10.6 in the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. While some of the Soviet Union's increase was simply due to improved reporting of deaths, particularly across Central Asia, a large part has been attributed to the role played by alcoholism in relation to accidental deaths and alcohol-related illnesses.
Comparison of death rates in the United States and Soviet Union in selected years between 1970 and 1989
(per 1,000 population)
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US Census Bureau. (August 1, 1991). Comparison of death rates in the United States and Soviet Union in selected years between 1970 and 1989 (per 1,000 population) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248411/comparison-us-ussr-death-rates-cold-war/
US Census Bureau. "Comparison of death rates in the United States and Soviet Union in selected years between 1970 and 1989 (per 1,000 population)." Chart. August 1, 1991. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248411/comparison-us-ussr-death-rates-cold-war/
US Census Bureau. (1991). Comparison of death rates in the United States and Soviet Union in selected years between 1970 and 1989 (per 1,000 population). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248411/comparison-us-ussr-death-rates-cold-war/
US Census Bureau. "Comparison of Death Rates in The United States and Soviet Union in Selected Years between 1970 and 1989 (per 1,000 Population)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Aug 1991, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248411/comparison-us-ussr-death-rates-cold-war/
US Census Bureau, Comparison of death rates in the United States and Soviet Union in selected years between 1970 and 1989 (per 1,000 population) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248411/comparison-us-ussr-death-rates-cold-war/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
Comparison of death rates in the United States and Soviet Union in selected years between 1970 and 1989 (per 1,000 population) [Graph], US Census Bureau, August 1, 1991. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248411/comparison-us-ussr-death-rates-cold-war/
