Chapter 3 - Health
                                         
Table 3.3 Deaths in the UK Regular Armed Forces: by year of occurrence and cause1, age and                      gender standardised rates2,3, 1999-2008
The only cause of death that has shown an increasing trend during this period was hostile action (Killed in Action and Died of Wounds) which varied from 0 per 100,000 (in 2002) to 38 per 100,000 (in 2007). In 2008 the rate of deaths due to hostile action was 28 per 100,000.
Age and gender standardised  
rates per 100,000 strength2 1999 4 2000 4 2001 4 2002   2003 4 2004 4 2005 4 2006 4 2007 4 2008  
All 66   71   69   72   83 r 81 r 79 r 97 r 105   72  
                                         
Disease-related conditions 20   17   21   21   19   22   22   21 r 19   17  
   Cancers 12   8   12   10   8   11   11   13   14   12  
   Diseases of the circulatory system 6   8   5   10   7   9   8   8 r 3   4  
   Other 2   1   4   2   4   2   3   1   2   2  
                                         
External causes of injury and poisoning 45   53   48   50   65 r 59 r 57 r 75 r 85 r 53  
   Deaths due to accidents 32 r 34   39   42   33   42   35   45   41 r 24  
      Land Transport Accidents 19   21   24   30   23   28   26   31   26   14  
      Other 12   12   15   12   10   13 r 9   14   15 r 10  
   Deaths due to violence 1   2   2   1   19 r 8   11   25   40 r 27  
      Killed in Action5 1   <1 r 1   -   18 r 5   10   21   32 r 26  
      Died of Wounds5 -   -   -   -   <1 r -   -   4 r 6   2  
      Other <1 r 1   1   1   <1 r 3   <1 r 1   2 r -  
   Suicide and Open verdicts 13   17   7   7   12   9   11 r 5   4   1  
                                         
Cause not currently available 1   1   <1 r -   -   <1 r <1 r 1 r 2   2  
Source: DASA (Health Information)
1.    DASA code all cause of death information to the World Health Organisation's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems        10th Revision (ICD-10).
2.    Rates have been age and gender standardised to the 2006 Armed Forces population and are expressed per 100,000 strength. Sub rates may not add up to        totals due to rounding.
3.    Rates which are greater than 0 but would not be rounded to 1 are represented as <1.
4.    Changes to data previously published in UKDS (see table 3.2 for detail).
5.    DASA have included the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Cell (JCCC) categories of killed in action and died of wounds which together provide information        on the number of Service personnel who have died as a result of hostile action. The term 'killed in action' is used when a battle casualty has died outright or        as a result of injuries before reaching a medical facility, whilst 'died of wounds' refers to battle casualties who died of wounds or other injuries after        reaching a medical facility.

Deaths in the UK Regular Armed Forces: by year of occurrence and cause, age and gender standardised rates, 1999-2008