The statistic is shocking and morbid. According to Upshot analysis published in New York Times recently, a staggering figure of 1.5 million black American men are missing and unaccounted for. The editorial specifically pointed out that the wide demographic gap is due to the fact most of them either died young or are behind bars.
The statistics was taken from the age group of 25 – 54 of both sexes and cited the city of New York as an example where in this metropolis alone, 120,000 black men are missing everyday. The other American cities cited are Chicago and Philadelphia where 45,000 and 30,000 are missing everyday. African American women in the 25 – 54 age group outnumbered men in a shocking gap of 1.5 million nationwide.
In a sample of 100 black women who are not in jail, 83 men are accounted for whereas for the white population the figure is 99, a near parity. The wide disparity for the black men and women in US does not bode well for the general well-being of the African American living in the United States and would inevitably point to a lower quality of life, particularly for the male segment of the population.
“The numbers are staggering,” said Becky Pettit, a professor of sociology at the University of Texas, as reported in New York Times.
Incarceration and early deaths are the overwhelming drivers of the gap. Of the 1.5 million missing black men from 25 to 54 — which demographers call the prime-age years . Homicide, the leading cause of death for young African-American men, plays a large role, and they also die from heart disease, respiratory disease and accidents more often than other demographic groups, including black women, the study pointed.
