In this paper, the author reviews international trends in 4 major causes of death for adolescents & young adults (ages 15 to 35): self-inflicted injuries, injuries intentionally inflicted by others, motor vehicle injuries, & HIV infection. Overall, it is found that youth violent mortality levels have remained remarkably stable since the 1950s. For each cause, the age- & sex-pattern of mortality is described, temporal & international comparisons are drawn, & implications are discussed. (18 refs)