topendtorque,
The rates around the world are relatively constant, as RJSquirrel has posted - his reference to the OGP presentation from 8 years ago is still the best single source (later years of the OGP data support the original conclusions, in less thorough format). This tends to say that there is little benefit to the vast difference between regulatory philosophies of US and Europe. Maybe most of the extra cost/work that pilots are put through in Europe is a way to keep the aeronautical system elitist - only those with enough money can fly. The US rate of flight and ownership is double that of the UK, which might prove that (inflammatory) point.
Here is the web site for that OGP data (provided above by squirrel), I looked at page 26 and it has comparative data from various regions:
http://www.ogp.org.uk/pubs/300.pdf#search='ogp%20aviation%20safety%20statisti cs'