Over 1,800 of all killings committed during the Troubles have been attributed to the Irish Republican Army (IRA). While the Troubles is often described as a "Catholic versus Protestant" or "republican versus loyalist" conflict, the number of loyalist paramilitaries killed by the IRA was just 45 people in total, or 2.5 percent of total IRA killings. In fact, it was British security forces, such as army personnel or the police force (Royal Ulster Constabulary), who suffered the largest number of killings by the IRA, with over 1,000 deaths, or over 55 percent of the IRA's total.
Total number of killings attributed to the (Provisional) Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles from 1969 to 2001, by status or affiliation of the victim
Characteristic
British Forces
Unintended target/ premature explosion/ attack on commercial property
Loyalist paramilitaries
Others
British forces: total
1,013
-
-
-
British Army
472
-
-
-
Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR)
228
-
-
-
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC)
285
-
-
-
Prison officers
22
-
-
-
British police
6
-
-
-
Unintended targets/premature explosion/commercial attack: total
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University of Ulster. (July 25, 2023). Total number of killings attributed to the (Provisional) Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles from 1969 to 2001, by status or affiliation of the victim [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 20, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1401931/ni-troubles-ira-killings-victim-status/
University of Ulster. "Total number of killings attributed to the (Provisional) Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles from 1969 to 2001, by status or affiliation of the victim." Chart. July 25, 2023. Statista. Accessed December 20, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1401931/ni-troubles-ira-killings-victim-status/
University of Ulster. (2023). Total number of killings attributed to the (Provisional) Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles from 1969 to 2001, by status or affiliation of the victim. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 20, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1401931/ni-troubles-ira-killings-victim-status/
University of Ulster. "Total Number of Killings Attributed to The (Provisional) Irish Republican Army (Ira) during The Troubles from 1969 to 2001, by Status or Affiliation of The Victim." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Jul 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1401931/ni-troubles-ira-killings-victim-status/
University of Ulster, Total number of killings attributed to the (Provisional) Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles from 1969 to 2001, by status or affiliation of the victim Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1401931/ni-troubles-ira-killings-victim-status/ (last visited December 20, 2024)
Total number of killings attributed to the (Provisional) Irish Republican Army (IRA) during the Troubles from 1969 to 2001, by status or affiliation of the victim [Graph], University of Ulster, July 25, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1401931/ni-troubles-ira-killings-victim-status/
