2003

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toppled in Baghdad after his regime was deposed during the Iraq War
.
Millennium: 3rd millennium
Centuries:
Decades:
Years:
  • 2000
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006

2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2003rd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 3rd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 4th year of the 2000s decade.

2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Freshwater[1]

In 2003, a United States-led coalition invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.

Demographics

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 0.27pp 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]

Conflicts

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 

Internal conflicts

The Colombian conflict against two Marxist militant groups—the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army—escalated in 2003.[7]: 101  The government negotiated an agreement for the right-wing militant group United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia to disband as a means to deescalate the conflict.[7]: 102 

The First Ivorian Civil War was halted in 2003 amid a ceasefire while France and the states of ECOWAS intervened. Peace talks fell apart on March 7 until the ceasefire was restored on May 3, only to be broken again on September 23. The war was left in a frozen state at the end of 2003 with rebels controlling parts of the country.[7]: 115–116  The Second Liberian Civil War against Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy escalated when the Movement for Democracy in Liberia split off as its own faction.[7]: 116  President Charles Taylor resigned on August 2, allowing a peace agreement to take place on August 18.[7]: 118 

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 

The Sri Lankan Civil War continued in 2003 as peace talks failed, and long-running civil wars in Burundi and in Uganda both escalated.[7]: 107–112  The Second Sudanese Civil War escalated as new militant groups joined the conflict,[6]: 628  though a security agreement was reached between the National Islamic Front and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement on September 25.[7]: 119  The Second Chechen War continued in Russia: the Russian government held a referendum for a new Chechen constitution and offered amnesty for Chechen rebels, but terror attacks continued.[7]: 125 

International conflicts

Only two inter-state conflicts took place in 2003: the

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 

Culture

Media

The highest-grossing films globally in 2003 were The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Finding Nemo, and The Matrix Reloaded. The highest-grossing non-English film was Bayside Shakedown 2 (Japanese), the 39th highest-grossing film of the year.[8] Critically acclaimed films from 2003 include Finding Nemo,[9][10][11][12] Lost in Translation,[9][11][13] and Master and Commander.[9][10][13]

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]

Sports

Golf saw an upset when Ben Curtis defeated some of the sport's top players in his first major competition at the 2003 Open Championship. Tennis players Roger Federer and Andy Roddick won their first Grand Slams in 2003.[16]

Economy

The global economy improved in the second half of 2003 as it recovered from the

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]

Environment and weather

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