How Much Lifetime is Lost Due to Homicides: A Cross-National Comparison

Abstract

This study estimates the amount of lifetime lost to homicides across countries and regions of the world from 2000 to 2021, with a focus on the United States. We conceptualize time lost as a distinct harm of homicide among other crimes that allows for direct comparisons with the harm of other leading causes of premature death. Though homicide rates are declining internationally, in 2021 they still accounted for 27.8 million years of life lost globally, equivalent to 1.28 days per person. Over an average lifespan, this amounts to a per capita loss of 23.28 days. The Americas experienced the highest lifetime loss (34.2 days), followed by Europe (24.8), Asia (6.3), and Oceania (2.7). The United States stands out among high-income nations for its elevated youth homicide rate, resulting in 1.25 days lost per person and a total of 1,160,752 years lost in 2021 alone. Based on World Health Organization’s guidance on the value of a statistical life year, the economic cost of this loss is estimated at US$ 117.9 billion. That value represents 43.5% of all state and local justice expenditures in the U.S. and justifies much greater investments in violence prevention.