Micromorts for Common Activities

V. Key Health Policy Issues >> A. Burden of Illness >> Avoidable Mortality >> Micromorts for Common Activities (last update 5.10.20)

First proposed by Stanford professor Ronald Howard,  a micromort equals a risk of 1 death per million and is the easiest way of comparing everyday risks that are relatively small in magnitude.

All-Cause Risks by Age

0.5 = daily risk of death, 7-year-0ld boy
1 = daily risk of death, 18-year-0ld man
2 = daily risk of death, 30-year-0ld man
6 = daily risk of death, 45-year-0ld man
15 = daily risk of death, infant male under age 1
23 = daily risk of death, 60-year-0ld man
105 = daily risk of death, 75-year-0ld man
463 = daily risk of death, 90-year-0ld man

Disease-Caused Mortality

Medical Risks

10 = risk of receiving general anesthetic in U.K.
75 = risk of death due to lapses in safety from spending 1 day in hospital (England)
170 = maternal risk of giving birth in U.S.
100 = COVID-19 infection fatality rate, age 5-9 (first wave)
10,000 = COVID-19 infection fatality rate, age 60-65 (first wave)
150,000 = COVID-19 infection fatality rate, age 90+ (first wave)
1,000 = seasonal flu (case fatality rate adjusted for undercounting of symptomatic cases)
5,792 = infant risk of death in childbirth, U.S. 2017 (Table 2)

Violence

1 = daily risk of death from external causes (accidents, murders, suicides) England/Wales
60 = annual risk of homicide, U.S., 2017
505 = annual risk of homicide, St. Louis, MO, 2017

Accident-Caused Mortality

Transportation Risks

0.5 = risk of death per 100 miles of travel by car
1 = risk of death flying 6,214 miles by commercial jet
1 = risk of death from driving a car 249 miles
1 = risk of death from driving a motorcycle 6.2 miles
6 = risk of death per 100 miles of walking
17 = risk of death per 100 miles of motorbiking

Other Accidental Causes

11 = annual risk of drowning (U.S. 2017)

Occupation-Related Mortality

Lifestyle-Related Mortality

Sports Risks

0.5 = risk of death from horseback riding (per activity)
0.5 = risk of death per day of skiing
4.1 = risk of death from running 1 marathon (females)
5 = risk of death per 100 miles of cycling
5-10 = risk of death per scuba dive
6 = risk of death per 100 miles of walking
8 = risk of death from hang-gliding (per activity)
8-9 = risk of death per skydiving jump
9.8 = risk of death from running 1 marathon (males)
12,200 = risk of death for climbers of Mt. Everest
39,100 = risk of death for climbers of Annapurna

Economic Status

Environmental Risk Factors

Natural Hazards

0.12 = annual risk of getting killed by a shark (Australians)