The lancet

Ake, death certificates were produced in 92% of cases where a death was claimed - bit of a difference there

If you take the 5.5 deaths per 1,000 rate quoted in the report, then according to the figures in the CIA's World Factbook pre-invasion Iraq had a death rate more than 2 points lower than Canada (at 7.8/1000), and just over half the rates in Germany and Sweden (10.62, 10.31). But then according to the same figures the post-invasion rate is only 5.37, which is less than half the rate for the Isle of Man, of all places, so something seems odd.

And if you take the 500,000 deaths supposedly caused by UN sanctions - which amounts to about 38,500 a year over 13 years - then based on a population of 26m that alone is 1.48 per 1,000 of population. So deduct that from 5.5 per 1,000 and it seems that Iraq pre-invasion was one of the safest places in the world, beaten only by the likes of the Gaza Strip, (of all places). With 3.8 deaths per 1,000 Gaza is more than twice as safe as Canada, and nearly three times as safe as the Isle of Man. But then, again according to World Factbook (by way of Wikipedia), life expectancy in Gaza is 71.79 compared to 80.22 in Canada. Boffins, does any of this make sense?