The
world population on January 1, 2003, was estimated to be 6.272 billion people and increased to 6.353 billion people by January 1, 2004.[2] An estimated 134.0 million births and 52.5 million deaths took place in 2003.[2] The average global
life expectancy was 67.1 years, an increase of 0.3 years from 2002.[2] The rate of
child mortality was 6.85%, a decrease of 0.27
pp from 2002.[3] 25.54% of people were living in
extreme poverty, a decrease of 1.31pp from 2002[4]
There were approximately 10.6 million global refugees at the beginning of 2003, and the number was reduced to 9.7 million refugees by the end of the year.[5] Afghanistan was the largest source of refugees, with a total of 2.1 million at the end of the year.[5]
There were 29 armed conflicts affecting 22 countries in 2003. This was a net decrease from 31 conflicts in 2002.[6]: 625 The deadliest conflicts were in Iraq,
Kashmir, Liberia, Nepal, and Sudan.[6]: 627
The Indonesian
insurgency in Aceh escalated when a demilitarization agreement failed and the government renewed its offensive in May.[7]: 126 The
Moro conflict in the Philippines deescalated when the Philippine government agreed to peace talks with the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front in July, though conflicts with other groups continued.[7]: 129
Only two inter-state conflicts took place in 2003: the
Iraq War and the
Kashmir conflict. The Kashmir conflict saw progress toward resolution in 2003 as negotiations began and a ceasefire took effect on November 23.[7]: 95 A coalition of countries led by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia led an
invasion of Iraq beginning on March 20, warning that Iraq had been
operating a program to develop
weapons of mass destruction. The subsequent Iraq War became the most publicized conflict in 2003.[6]: 627–628
The
Second Intifada continued into 2003 as conflict between Israel and Palestine killed 400 people in suicide bombings by Palestinians and military strikes by the
Israel Defense Forces.[7]: 104
Music sales in 2003 amounted to about 2.7 billion units, a decline of 6.5% from 2002.
DVD music video thrived in 2003 at the expense of singles and
cassettes.[14] Globally, the best-selling albums of the year were Come Away with Me by
Norah Jones, Get Rich or Die Tryin' by
50 Cent, and
Meteora by
Linkin Park. No non-English albums were among the global top fifty albums sold in 2003.[15]
The global economy improved in the second half of 2003 as it recovered from the
early 2000s recession, brought about by low
interest rates and
expansionary fiscal policy. The United States led the recovery, while China and Japan also made significant contributions. The economic situation improved in Latin America and Africa, while Western Europe saw slower recovery. The
gross world product increased by 2.5% in 2003, and
international trade increased by 4.75%. The prices of non-fuel commodities, such as metal, minerals, and agricultural materials, increased during the year.[17]
2003 tied with
2002 as the second hottest year on record, behind only
1998. The year began during an
El Niño period that continued until April.
A major heatwave occurred in Europe during the summer, causing approximately 70,000 deaths, 14,000 in France alone.
Severe cold weather affected Asia, North America, and Peru. 2003 saw low precipitation, causing droughts in Australia, the United States, and Zimbabwe. The previous year's droughts in Asia were alleviated by heavy precipitation in the region.[18]
The
2003 Atlantic hurricane season was above average in activity, including sixteen
named storms of which seven were hurricanes. The most severe hurricanes were
Hurricane Fabian,
Hurricane Isabel, and
Hurricane Kate.
Tropical Storm Ana was the first recorded North Atlantic tropical storm to occur in April, and 2003 was the first year since 1887 to have two tropical storms occur in December.[20] The
2003 Pacific typhoon season was slightly more intense than average, though the overall number of tropical storms was below average with 23 total storms. The most destructive typhoons were
Typhoon Dujuan, which made landfall in
Guangdong, China, on September 2, and
Typhoon Maemi, which made landfall in South Korea on September 12.[21]
The last signal from NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft is received, some 12.2 billion kilometers (7.6 billion mi) from
Earth.[26]
January 29 – Riots break out in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia targeting Thai nationals after false reports that a Thai actress made comments about a temple. Thailand severs diplomatic relations with Cambodia in response.[27]
February 4 – The
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is renamed to "Serbia and Montenegro" (after its two constituent states) after its leaders reconstitute the country into a loose state-union between
Montenegro and
Serbia, marking an end to the 73-year-long use of the name "Yugoslavia" by a sovereign state.[29][30][31]
February 5 – U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell speaks to the United Nations presenting the case for a military invasion of
Iraq. It will later be discovered that the
Bush administration misled him when preparing his testimony.[32]
February 15–
16 –
Antwerp diamond heist: An Italian gang steals loose diamonds, gold and jewellery valued at more than $100 million from a Belgian vault, one of the largest robberies in history.[34][35]
U.S. President George W. Bush declares an end to the invasion of Iraq in the
Mission Accomplished speech. Hostilities would continue for several years during a period of
Iraqi insurgency.[58]
June 15 –
Operation Desert Scorpion: U.S. forces in Iraq facilitate searches for
Ba'athist forces, distribution of humanitarian aid, and engineering programs to repair damaged infrastructure.[75]
June 21 – Declaration of Thessaloniki: The European Union encourages accession of states of the western
Balkans.[76]
September 15 –
ELN rebels kidnap eight foreign tourists at
Ciudad Perdida,
Colombia, being freed 100 days later following negotiations with the Colombian government.[106]
^
abcWorld Population Prospects 2022 (Report). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2022.
Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^Roser, Max; Ritchie, Hannah; Dadonaite, Bernadeta (May 10, 2013).
"Child and Infant Mortality". Our World in Data.
Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^Hasell, Joe; Roser, Max; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Arrigada, Pablo (October 17, 2022).
"Poverty". Our World in Data.
Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^French, Philip (December 28, 2003).
"Ring in the new". The Observer.
ISSN0029-7712.
Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
^
ab"The Year In Film: 2003". The A.V. Club. January 14, 2004.
Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
^Otterman, Sharon (February 2, 2005).
"IRAQ: Iraq's Governing Council". Council on Foreign Relations.
Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
The
world population on January 1, 2003, was estimated to be 6.272 billion people and increased to 6.353 billion people by January 1, 2004.[2] An estimated 134.0 million births and 52.5 million deaths took place in 2003.[2] The average global
life expectancy was 67.1 years, an increase of 0.3 years from 2002.[2] The rate of
child mortality was 6.85%, a decrease of 0.27
pp from 2002.[3] 25.54% of people were living in
extreme poverty, a decrease of 1.31pp from 2002[4]
There were approximately 10.6 million global refugees at the beginning of 2003, and the number was reduced to 9.7 million refugees by the end of the year.[5] Afghanistan was the largest source of refugees, with a total of 2.1 million at the end of the year.[5]
There were 29 armed conflicts affecting 22 countries in 2003. This was a net decrease from 31 conflicts in 2002.[6]: 625 The deadliest conflicts were in Iraq,
Kashmir, Liberia, Nepal, and Sudan.[6]: 627
The Indonesian
insurgency in Aceh escalated when a demilitarization agreement failed and the government renewed its offensive in May.[7]: 126 The
Moro conflict in the Philippines deescalated when the Philippine government agreed to peace talks with the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front in July, though conflicts with other groups continued.[7]: 129
Only two inter-state conflicts took place in 2003: the
Iraq War and the
Kashmir conflict. The Kashmir conflict saw progress toward resolution in 2003 as negotiations began and a ceasefire took effect on November 23.[7]: 95 A coalition of countries led by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia led an
invasion of Iraq beginning on March 20, warning that Iraq had been
operating a program to develop
weapons of mass destruction. The subsequent Iraq War became the most publicized conflict in 2003.[6]: 627–628
The
Second Intifada continued into 2003 as conflict between Israel and Palestine killed 400 people in suicide bombings by Palestinians and military strikes by the
Israel Defense Forces.[7]: 104
Music sales in 2003 amounted to about 2.7 billion units, a decline of 6.5% from 2002.
DVD music video thrived in 2003 at the expense of singles and
cassettes.[14] Globally, the best-selling albums of the year were Come Away with Me by
Norah Jones, Get Rich or Die Tryin' by
50 Cent, and
Meteora by
Linkin Park. No non-English albums were among the global top fifty albums sold in 2003.[15]
The global economy improved in the second half of 2003 as it recovered from the
early 2000s recession, brought about by low
interest rates and
expansionary fiscal policy. The United States led the recovery, while China and Japan also made significant contributions. The economic situation improved in Latin America and Africa, while Western Europe saw slower recovery. The
gross world product increased by 2.5% in 2003, and
international trade increased by 4.75%. The prices of non-fuel commodities, such as metal, minerals, and agricultural materials, increased during the year.[17]
2003 tied with
2002 as the second hottest year on record, behind only
1998. The year began during an
El Niño period that continued until April.
A major heatwave occurred in Europe during the summer, causing approximately 70,000 deaths, 14,000 in France alone.
Severe cold weather affected Asia, North America, and Peru. 2003 saw low precipitation, causing droughts in Australia, the United States, and Zimbabwe. The previous year's droughts in Asia were alleviated by heavy precipitation in the region.[18]
The
2003 Atlantic hurricane season was above average in activity, including sixteen
named storms of which seven were hurricanes. The most severe hurricanes were
Hurricane Fabian,
Hurricane Isabel, and
Hurricane Kate.
Tropical Storm Ana was the first recorded North Atlantic tropical storm to occur in April, and 2003 was the first year since 1887 to have two tropical storms occur in December.[20] The
2003 Pacific typhoon season was slightly more intense than average, though the overall number of tropical storms was below average with 23 total storms. The most destructive typhoons were
Typhoon Dujuan, which made landfall in
Guangdong, China, on September 2, and
Typhoon Maemi, which made landfall in South Korea on September 12.[21]
The last signal from NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft is received, some 12.2 billion kilometers (7.6 billion mi) from
Earth.[26]
January 29 – Riots break out in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia targeting Thai nationals after false reports that a Thai actress made comments about a temple. Thailand severs diplomatic relations with Cambodia in response.[27]
February 4 – The
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is renamed to "Serbia and Montenegro" (after its two constituent states) after its leaders reconstitute the country into a loose state-union between
Montenegro and
Serbia, marking an end to the 73-year-long use of the name "Yugoslavia" by a sovereign state.[29][30][31]
February 5 – U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell speaks to the United Nations presenting the case for a military invasion of
Iraq. It will later be discovered that the
Bush administration misled him when preparing his testimony.[32]
February 15–
16 –
Antwerp diamond heist: An Italian gang steals loose diamonds, gold and jewellery valued at more than $100 million from a Belgian vault, one of the largest robberies in history.[34][35]
U.S. President George W. Bush declares an end to the invasion of Iraq in the
Mission Accomplished speech. Hostilities would continue for several years during a period of
Iraqi insurgency.[58]
June 15 –
Operation Desert Scorpion: U.S. forces in Iraq facilitate searches for
Ba'athist forces, distribution of humanitarian aid, and engineering programs to repair damaged infrastructure.[75]
June 21 – Declaration of Thessaloniki: The European Union encourages accession of states of the western
Balkans.[76]
September 15 –
ELN rebels kidnap eight foreign tourists at
Ciudad Perdida,
Colombia, being freed 100 days later following negotiations with the Colombian government.[106]
^
abcWorld Population Prospects 2022 (Report). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2022.
Archived from the original on July 11, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^Roser, Max; Ritchie, Hannah; Dadonaite, Bernadeta (May 10, 2013).
"Child and Infant Mortality". Our World in Data.
Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^Hasell, Joe; Roser, Max; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Arrigada, Pablo (October 17, 2022).
"Poverty". Our World in Data.
Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
^French, Philip (December 28, 2003).
"Ring in the new". The Observer.
ISSN0029-7712.
Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
^
ab"The Year In Film: 2003". The A.V. Club. January 14, 2004.
Archived from the original on October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
^Otterman, Sharon (February 2, 2005).
"IRAQ: Iraq's Governing Council". Council on Foreign Relations.
Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.