{"id": 1009173, "name": "Deaths from famines where adverse climate was the main trigger", "unit": "deaths", "createdAt": "2025-01-29T15:22:46.000Z", "updatedAt": "2026-03-25T17:11:17.000Z", "coverage": "", "timespan": "1870-2023", "datasetId": 6915, "columnOrder": 0, "shortName": "famine_deaths__principal_cause_adverse_climate", "catalogPath": "grapher/wpf/2025-01-17/famines_by_trigger/famines_by_trigger#famine_deaths__principal_cause_adverse_climate", "dimensions": {"years": {"values": [{"id": 1870}, {"id": 1871}, {"id": 1872}, {"id": 1873}, {"id": 1874}, {"id": 1875}, {"id": 1876}, {"id": 1877}, {"id": 1878}, {"id": 1879}, {"id": 1880}, {"id": 1881}, {"id": 1882}, {"id": 1883}, {"id": 1884}, {"id": 1885}, {"id": 1886}, {"id": 1887}, {"id": 1888}, {"id": 1889}, {"id": 1890}, {"id": 1891}, {"id": 1892}, {"id": 1893}, {"id": 1894}, {"id": 1895}, {"id": 1896}, {"id": 1897}, {"id": 1898}, {"id": 1899}, {"id": 1900}, {"id": 1901}, {"id": 1902}, {"id": 1903}, {"id": 1904}, {"id": 1905}, {"id": 1906}, {"id": 1907}, {"id": 1908}, {"id": 1909}, {"id": 1910}, {"id": 1911}, {"id": 1912}, {"id": 1913}, {"id": 1914}, {"id": 1915}, {"id": 1916}, {"id": 1917}, {"id": 1918}, {"id": 1919}, {"id": 1920}, {"id": 1921}, {"id": 1922}, {"id": 1923}, {"id": 1924}, {"id": 1925}, {"id": 1926}, {"id": 1927}, {"id": 1928}, {"id": 1929}, {"id": 1930}, {"id": 1931}, {"id": 1932}, {"id": 1933}, {"id": 1934}, {"id": 1935}, {"id": 1936}, {"id": 1937}, {"id": 1938}, {"id": 1939}, {"id": 1940}, {"id": 1941}, {"id": 1942}, {"id": 1943}, {"id": 1944}, {"id": 1945}, {"id": 1946}, {"id": 1947}, {"id": 1948}, {"id": 1949}, {"id": 1950}, {"id": 1951}, {"id": 1952}, {"id": 1953}, {"id": 1954}, {"id": 1955}, {"id": 1956}, {"id": 1957}, {"id": 1958}, {"id": 1959}, {"id": 1960}, {"id": 1961}, {"id": 1962}, {"id": 1963}, {"id": 1964}, {"id": 1965}, {"id": 1966}, {"id": 1967}, {"id": 1968}, {"id": 1969}, {"id": 1970}, {"id": 1971}, {"id": 1972}, {"id": 1973}, {"id": 1974}, {"id": 1975}, {"id": 1976}, {"id": 1977}, {"id": 1978}, {"id": 1979}, {"id": 1980}, {"id": 1981}, {"id": 1982}, {"id": 1983}, {"id": 1984}, {"id": 1985}, {"id": 1986}, {"id": 1987}, {"id": 1988}, {"id": 1989}, {"id": 1990}, {"id": 1991}, {"id": 1992}, {"id": 1993}, {"id": 1994}, {"id": 1995}, {"id": 1996}, {"id": 1997}, {"id": 1998}, {"id": 1999}, {"id": 2000}, {"id": 2001}, {"id": 2002}, {"id": 2003}, {"id": 2004}, {"id": 2005}, {"id": 2006}, {"id": 2007}, {"id": 2008}, {"id": 2009}, {"id": 2010}, {"id": 2011}, {"id": 2012}, {"id": 2013}, {"id": 2014}, {"id": 2015}, {"id": 2016}, {"id": 2017}, {"id": 2018}, {"id": 2019}, {"id": 2020}, {"id": 2021}, {"id": 2022}, {"id": 2023}]}, "entities": {"values": [{"id": 273, "name": "Africa", "code": "OWID_AFR"}, {"id": 275, "name": "Asia", "code": "OWID_ASI"}, {"id": 276, "name": "Europe", "code": "OWID_EUR"}, {"id": 294, "name": "North America", "code": "OWID_NAM"}, {"id": 295, "name": "South America", "code": "OWID_SAM"}, {"id": 355, "name": "World", "code": "OWID_WRL"}]}}, "descriptionShort": "Deaths from famines that are estimated to have killed 100,000 people or more. Although categorized into four main triggers here, famines almost always result from a complex interplay of factors, with human decisions frequently influencing their severity and outcomes.", "descriptionFromProducer": "Famines were included in the catalogue based on the total number of excess deaths (magnitude), not the percentage of the population affected. A minimum threshold of 100,000 deaths was set because there is limited research on how famines impacted death rates relative to population size. This means famines with at least 100,000 deaths are included, regardless of the total population of the affected area.", "descriptionProcessing": "The deaths were assumed to be evenly distributed over the duration of each famine, except for the famine in China between 1958 and 1962, where the source provides a year-by-year breakdown of mortality.", "type": "float", "dataChecksum": "10748104125822175619", "metadataChecksum": "8658105384618461104", "datasetName": "Deaths from famines by main trigger", "updatePeriodDays": 365, "datasetVersion": "2025-01-17", "nonRedistributable": false, "display": {"name": "Adverse climate", "unit": "deaths", "numDecimalPlaces": 0}, "schemaVersion": 2, "presentation": {"titlePublic": "Deaths from famines caused by adverse climate", "topicTagsLinks": ["Famines"]}, "descriptionKey": ["WPF defines a famine as mass mortality due to mass starvation, with mass starvation being the \"destruction, deprivation or loss of objects and activities required for survival\".", "WPF coded the most credible estimate of the number of deaths across sources. If there were several equally credible estimates, WPF used their median.", "The 1910\u20131919 famine in British Somaliland and the African Red Sea Region (Sudan, Northern Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti) is treated as a single event because the 100,000+ mortality estimate applies to the entire region, not individual areas.", "For the Ottoman Empire (1894\u20131896), East Africa (1896\u20131900), and the combined Somaliland\u2013African Red Sea Region famine (1910\u20131919), the 100,000 death estimate is a **minimum**, meaning the actual death toll was likely higher.", "Famines were classified into four main triggers - adverse climate, government policies, armed conflict, or genocide - though in reality, multiple factors, especially human decisions, almost always play a significant role in their development and severity.", "Historical examples demonstrate this complexity, such as when El Ni\u00f1o-related famines in the late 19th century were made worse by imperial conquest, and when the 1984-85 Sudan famine, initially triggered by drought, was intensified by exploitative politics.", "The Ukrainian Holodomor (1931-1933) is a subject of some controversy, with interpretations divided between Stalin\u2019s genocidal intent and Soviet claims of unintentional policy failures; however, most scholars now classify it as genocide.", "The Darfur crisis (2003-2005) also faced initial controversy before achieving scholarly consensus as genocide.", "More recently, the Tigray famine (2020-2022) has been categorized as \"armed conflict,\" though ongoing research may shift its classification.", "The classification system continues to evolve as new research emerges and experts provide additional insights."], "origins": [{"id": 2538, "title": "The WPF Famine Dataset", "description": "The World Peace Foundation has compiled a comprehensive dataset cataloging famines and mass starvation events since 1870. Their main dataset focuses on events that caused 100,000 or more deaths.\n\nThe dataset faces several methodological challenges that require careful consideration. Historical data quality varies significantly across different periods and regions, making direct comparisons challenging. Different measurement methods and inconsistent data collection practices further complicate the analysis. A particularly notable observation is that the worse a humanitarian emergency becomes, the more difficult it becomes to gather reliable data about it. These challenges are compounded by the complexity of defining famine boundaries and categorizing different types of mass starvation events.\n\nThe framework for defining famines in this dataset encompasses three main categories: conventional famines driven by food crises, mass starvation caused by war or genocide, and massive humanitarian emergencies. These events are distinguished from chronic poverty by being distinct episodes rather than ongoing conditions. The methodology uses a threshold of 100,000 deaths for practical purposes, considering both direct starvation deaths and related health crisis mortality. The dataset has evolved from using \"lowest credible estimate\" to \"most credible estimate\" for death tolls, and employs placeholder estimates of \"100,000+\" when exact figures are unavailable.\n\nThe classification of famine causes follows a structured approach, identifying immediate triggers, contributory factors, and structural causes. The dataset recognizes four main triggers: adverse climate, government policies, armed conflict, and genocide. Importantly, the authors note that famine causes are often complex and interconnected, rarely attributable to a single factor.\n\nGiven these methodological considerations, the authors emphasize that this compilation should be viewed more as a catalogue than a strict dataset, suitable for drawing general conclusions rather than precise statistical analyses. The dataset remains open for expert review and input, functioning as a living document that can be updated as new information becomes available.", "producer": "World Peace Foundation", "citationFull": "Historic Famines dataset. World Peace Foundation (2025).", "urlMain": "https://worldpeacefoundation.org/", "dateAccessed": "2025-10-03", "datePublished": "2025", "license": {"name": "permission obtained from the authors"}}]}