Comparison of the U.S. and USSR death rates 1970-1989

The United States had a higher death rate per capita in 1970 than the Soviet Union, with 9.4 deaths per thousand people compared to 8.2 respectively. This would change in the subsequent decades, however, as the U.S.' death rate would fall to roughly 8.7 deaths per thousand people, compared with an increase to 10.6 in the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s. While some of the Soviet Union's increase was simply due to improved reporting of deaths, particularly across Central Asia, a large part has been attributed to the role played by alcoholism in relation to accidental deaths and alcohol-related illnesses.

在1970年，美国的每千人死亡率高于苏联，分别为9.4人与8.2人。然而，在随后的几十年中，这一状况发生了变化，美国的死亡率下降至大约8.7人，而苏联在20世纪80年代中期则上升至10.6人。苏联死亡率上升的部分原因在于死亡报告的改善，尤其是在中亚地区，但其中很大一部分原因归因于酗酒在意外死亡和与酒精相关的疾病中所扮演的角色。