From the 5.1 million deaths reported in the European Union (EU) in 2016, 3 300 (0.06%) were due to assault. The majority of victims were men (65%).
The assault-related death rate is falling. In 2002, the first year for which data are available, the rate stood at 1.3 per 100 000 inhabitants and has gradually decreased since then, reaching 0.6 per 100 000 in 2016.
Assault death rate highest in the Baltic States, lowest in the United Kingdom
With 4.6 assault-related deaths per 100 000 inhabitants, Latvia registered the highest rate among the EU Member States in 2016. Two other Baltic Member States, Lithuania (3.6 deaths due to assault per 100 000 inhabitants) and Estonia (2.7) also recorded relatively high rates of death due to assault.
At the opposite end of the scale, the United Kingdom recorded the lowest rate of deaths due to assault in 2016 (0.1), followed by 8 Member States with a rate of 0.5: Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany, France, Austria, Czechia, Italy and Ireland.
Death is due to assault if it results from homicide or injuries inflicted by another person with intent to injure or kill. Deaths related to legal interventions or to war are excluded. In order to compare the rates between countries, the number of deaths has been standardised to take into account their different sizes and age structures.
The source data for the number of deaths can be found in Eurostat table hlth_cd_aro. For the standardised death rates the source tables are hlth_cd_asdr (2002 – 2010) and hlth_cd_asdr2 (2011 onwards).
For more information on Eurostat's health statistics, take a look at the overview page accessible here.
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