Lancet Study Reveals U.S.-Led Sanctions Kill Over 500,000 People Annually
Broad economic sanctions, often portrayed as a less violent alternative to war, are responsible for approximately 564,000 deaths each year—most of them children under the age of five—according to a new study published on July 25 in The Lancet Global Health. The research analyzed data from 152 countries over a 10-year period and found that the number of deaths caused by sanctions is comparable to those resulting from armed conflict. The study, authored by economists Francisco Rodriguez, Silvio Rendon, and Mark Weisbrot, emphasizes the devastating impact sanctions have on public health and essential infrastructure.
By targeting key economic sectors like finance and energy, sanctions restrict access to critical imports such as medicine, food, and components for water and electrical systems, causing widespread suffering without the visible destruction of bombs and missiles. The United States, which imposes more sanctions than any other country, increasingly turns to these measures as a foreign policy tool. Although often justified as non-violent pressure on adversaries, experts argue that the resulting human cost is far from peaceful.
The case of Venezuela illustrates the deadly impact of sanctions. After the U.S. imposed sweeping economic restrictions in 2017—escalated further under President Donald Trump’s administration—the country plunged into a historic depression. Between 2012 and 2020, Venezuela’s economy shrank by 71%—three times more than the U.S. during the Great Depression—with tens of thousands of deaths directly linked to sanctions, according to multiple studies.
Children under five are especially vulnerable. Sanctions increase malnutrition rates, making children more likely to die from otherwise treatable diseases such as measles, pneumonia, and diarrhea. The study’s findings align with earlier research by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and other institutions showing sharp rises in mortality during economic recessions.
Critics argue that U.S. sanctions violate both international and domestic law. They are considered collective punishment under the Geneva and Hague Conventions and are deemed illegal under the Charter of the Organization of American States. U.S. law also requires that sanctions be imposed only in response to a “national emergency” caused by a foreign threat—a criterion rarely met in practice. Despite grim statistics, the researchers believe public awareness could spark change. “The invisibility of sanctions is their greatest political asset,” noted Weisbrot. “But once exposed, they become indefensible.”
Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the UN—under strong U.S. influence—imposed comprehensive sanctions on Iraq starting in August 1990, lasting until the U.S. invasion in 2003. Iraq’s economy collapsed. Its infrastructure—particularly water, sanitation, and healthcare systems—could not recover from war damage without access to foreign parts and supplies blocked by sanctions. UNICEF reported that by the late 1990s, sanctions had contributed to the deaths of over 500,000 Iraqi children under five due to malnutrition, disease, and lack of medicine.
After the onset of the covert U.S.-Israeli war to topple the Syrian government in 2011, the U.S. imposed successive waves of sanctions targeting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, including the 2020 Caesar Act, which extended penalties to foreign entities doing business with Syria. As a result, the Syrian pound lost most of its value. Prices of basic goods soared, and subsidies for food, fuel, and medicine were slashed. As of 2025, 90% of Syrians live in poverty. Simultaneously, sanctions have discouraged international investment and crippled urgently needed reconstruction after 14 years of war.
“Sanctions have become the weapon of choice for the United States and some allies—not because they are less destructive, but because their victims are less visible,” Weisbrot wrote in a commentary for the Los Angeles Times. “They kill quietly, without the political cost of war.”
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