India third highest in gun-related deaths, firearm mortality rate beats neighbours: US study

By Rajiv Shah
A just released study has found that India has the distinction of having the third highest number of gun-related deaths out of 195 countries surveyed. Published by the American Medical Association, the study, released on August 28, shows that a total of 26,500 firearm-related deaths took place in India in 2016. Brazil tops the list with 43,200 deaths, followed by United States 37,200.
No doubt, India being the second most populated country in the world, it's firearm-related mortality rate per 100,000 is just 2.1 as against the Brazil's 18.4 per 100,000, and the United States' 10.6 per 100,000. However, interestingly, the firearm-related mortality rate per 100,000 in China, which is the most populous country in the world, is just 0.2, with absolute number of firearm deaths estimated at 2,910 in 2016.

Titled "Global Mortality From Firearms, 1990-2016", authored by Dr Mohsen Naghavi of the Global Health Department, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation University of Washington, Seattle, the study also finds that the firearms morality rate is the highest in India as compared to all its neighbours. Thus, it is 1.1 per 100,000 in Bangladesh, 1.0 in Bhutan, 1.9 in Sri Lanka, 0.2 in China, 1.3 in Nepal, 1.1 in Myanmar, 1.5 in Pakistan, and 1.9 in Sri Lanka.
Interestingly, India and Pakistan are the only two countries among India's neighbours with witnessed an increase in the absolute number of firearm related deaths. In India, the absolute number of firearm deaths were 22,500 in 1990, which went up to 26,500 in 2016. As for Pakistan, it's absolute firearm deaths increased from 1,430 to 2,780.
Basing itself on what it calls "a combination of deidentified aggregated data from vital registration, verbal autopsy, census and survey data, and police records in models for 195 countries and territories", the study estimates that "251,000 people died globally from firearm injuries in 2016, compared with 209,000 deaths in 1990".
It adds, however, that "there was an annualized decrease of 0.9% in the global rate of age-standardized firearm deaths from 1990 to 2016."
The study says, "Although public attention is frequently focused on firearm homicide, firearm suicides represent the greater fraction of firearm mortality in some locations", but insists, "Access to firearms is a necessary precondition for firearm injury to occur."

Claiming to be the the first study of its kind, the author says, "The strength of the relationship between access to firearms and variation in levels of firearm violence has not been previously evaluated at the level used in this study."
The study takes into account, broadly, three types of data while analysing firearms morality -- physical violence by firearm, self-harm by firearm, and unintentional firearm injuries. An analysis by Laura Santhanam in PBS News Hour of its data shows that "half of all gun-related deaths in 2016 occurred in six nations -- Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia and Guatemala. Together, these countries hold less than 10 percent of the world’s population."
The expert analysis further says that "overall, 64 percent of deaths were determined to be homicides, while an additional 27 percent were suicides and 9 percent were accidental shootings."

Comments

Tanushree Gangopadhyay said…

Not surprising!! Gunrunning is ancient old.Much of it comes in through the US.

September 07, 2018

Urvashi Devi said…

I am surprised . Since it is not easy to get a licence? Didn't realise So many own guns . Mainly the upper class; and I presume that's where the suicide occur .

September 08, 2018

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Pace bowlers who transcended pace bowling prowess to heights unscaled

By Harsh Thakor* This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

'Paradigm shift needed': Analyst warns draft electricity policy ignores ecological costs

By A Representative The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP), 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma, who has submitted detailed feedback highlighting what he calls “serious omissions” in the government’s approach to energy transition.

Search This Blog