People say to us, look, it may well be the case that there…
“People say to us, look, it may well be the case that there are fewer wars and fewer genocides, but surely more people are being killed. But when we look at this, the number of people killed in wars involving a state every year, all the wars, and you can see there's a high point, that's the Korean war, and it keeps on going down and down and down. If you look at the average number of people killed per conflict per year, it goes from 37-thousand in 1950 to just 600 in 2002.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote highlights a decline in war and genocide deaths over decades, suggesting that while absolute numbers may rise, per‑conflict fatalities have fallen dramatically.
In simple terms: War deaths per conflict have dropped sharply since 1950.
Key Takeaway
Recognize that trends matter more than raw totals.
Themes
conflict
history
statistics
humanitarian
peace
dataanalysis
Mood
reflective
analytical
concerned
Type
Average:1
Cases:0
Conflict:1
Down and:0
Fewer:1
Genocide:1
High points:0
Ifs:0
Involving:0
Korean:0
Korean war:0
Looks:0
May:0
Numbers:1
People:1
States:1
Thousand:0
War:1
Wells:0
Years:0
Killed Wars:0
Fewer Wars:0
Fewer Genocides:0
Wars Fewer:0
Killed Conflict:0
When to use this quote
- policy evaluation
- media reporting
- public perception
- academic research
Key Concepts
per capita mortality
long‑term trends
comparative analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we balance absolute and per‑conflict figures when assessing safety?
- What other metrics should we consider?
A Different Perspective
Numbers can mask underlying causes, and focusing solely on per‑conflict rates may overlook other forms of violence.