More than half the victims of the Troubles have been civilians, according to a new book published today. A total of 1,868 civilians have been killed, 53 per of all those who have died through political violence in the North.
The figures are contained in Northern Ireland's Troubles: the Human Cost by Marie-Therese Fay, Mike Morrisey and Marie Smyth. A total of 3,506 people have been killed since 1969. Members of the security forces account for 30 per cent of the victims. A total of 511 were British soldiers. The combined total for locally recruited members of the security forces - the RUC, UDR, and RIR - is 504.
Sixteen per cent of those killed were paramilitaries. Four times more republican than loyalist paramilitaries have died: 439 compared to 110.
The authors of the study note that the conflict in the North is unusual in the high proportion of security force deaths. "Guerrilla wars typically see a much higher proportion of fatalities amongst the insurgents."
The victims of the Troubles have been overwhelmingly male. Most were likely to be young men - more than a third were in their 20s. The book says that more Catholics have died than Protestants and that both communities suffered the highest concentration of deaths from 1971-76.
The most common victims of the Troubles have been young Catholic men. Eighty per cent of victims were killed by paramilitary groups - more than half of all deaths were the responsibility of republicans. For each of their own members who died, loyalist paramilitaries killed 8.5 people; republican paramilitaries killed 5.5 people. In west and north Belfast and in Derry, the majority of local residents killed were Catholic. October and November are the months with the highest death rates. Areas with the highest deprivation rates are among those with the largest number of deaths.
One of the authors of the book, Ms Marie Smyth, commenting on the figures, said yesterday: "If we are serious about moving forward in the peace process, we cannot hide the vast amount of very deep and long-lasting suffering."