# World-wide causes of death **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 22, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878 "2017-07-22T14:38:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/1 "2017-07-22T14:38:54Z")
> [@](#): > > We can do better than that. We don’t have good data for most of history, but we have OK data for most of the world now. One of the best-known collectors is the World Health Organization, which publishes top-ten causes-of-death lists for different “economy income groups.” May we have the cite for this, please? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/2 "2017-07-22T15:23:02Z")
I assume this is in reference to Cecil’s new column [How have most human beings died throughout history?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3350/how-have-most-human-beings-died-throughout-history) The cite is easy to find. [Top ten causes of death - WHO](http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/). ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/3 "2017-07-22T23:18:15Z")
> [@](#): > > the leading cause of death throughout human history has been lower respiratory infection, mainly pneumonia, bronchitis and the flu. Just to note that, on my reading, the leading cause of lower respiratory infection death due to Influenza is concomitant/subsequent bacterial pneumonia. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/4 "2017-07-22T23:34:23Z")
Thank you. I can find WHO stats, but wanted to look at the specific page Cecil was working with. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/5 "2017-07-23T03:37:35Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Thank you. I can find WHO stats, but wanted to look at the specific page Cecil was working with. Page two of the link I gave specifically lists "top-ten causes-of-death lists for different “economy income groups.” " ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/6 "2017-07-23T03:53:30Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/7 "2017-07-23T18:48:52Z")
> [@Cecil](#): > > Here we have the benefit of work done by others. In the 1970s, when fears about the population explosion were at their peak, the story arose that 75 percent (or some other large fraction) of all people who’d ever been born were then alive — the idea being that we’d reached the hockey-stick inflection point on the growth curve and population was increasing exponentially. What’s a “hockey-stick inflection point” ? ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-wide-causes-of-death/791878/8 "2017-07-24T04:18:49Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > What’s a “hockey-stick inflection point” ? A point on a graph where the line suddenly goes up (or down, but it’s usually up) in a shape vaguely like the bend in a hockey stick. It happens in many statistical situations.