American Deaths Abroad
By Ted Andersen
Fall 2015
Total Non-Natural American Deaths Abroad
2003-2014
Since 2003, the U.S. State Department has kept complete annual records of where and how American citizens die non-natural deaths in foreign countries. Throughout the past decade Mexico has had the most American fatailities abroad, 2730, with Thailand coming in a distant second at 326. Costa Rica has the third highest total with 315 and Iraq, Germany and Haiti all had 252. The largest categories in Mexico were motor vehicle accidents and homicides.
Where and How Americans Die
By country, year and category
The State Department records 12 categories for deaths including homicide, suicide and motor vehicle accidents. Toggle between the years and categories to see where and how Americans die abroad.
Most Common Cause of Death
Breakdown by category for each country
This is how Americans die abroad in countries where at least 50 fatalities have occured from 2003 to 2014. Homicides accounted for half of the total deaths in Colombia and the Philippines while terrorism made up 63 percent of all American deaths in Afghanistan. Drug-related deaths led all categories in Cambodia while suicides made up more than half of all American deaths in South Korea. Use the drop-down menu to explore how Americans are most likely to die in a given country.
Death Rate (2014)
Per 100,000 U.S. visitors
More Americans visit and die in Mexico than any other country in the world, but does that make it the most dangerous country to visit? Mexico may have the highest total death count for Americans abroad, but when compared to the total number of U.S. visitors in 2014, Thailand has a much higher death rate per 100,000 American visitors, as does Asia. In comparison, Mexico has a relatively low death rate.
