A global index of countries by murder rate, measured by intentional homicides per 100,000 people, using the latest UN data.
A policeman in El Salvador, the country with highest murder rate (Shutterstock)
According to the United Nations 2019 Global Study on Homicide report, homicide kills considerably more people than armed conflict.
Intentional homicides are defined by the UN as:
“Unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control and predatory violence and killing by armed groups.”
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing such as killing during armed conflict.
10 countries with the highest and lowest murder rates
The 2017 average global murder rate was 6.1 homicides per 100,000 people.
The global homicide rate decreased from 7.2 in 1992 to 6.1 in 2017.
The rate in the Americas (17.2) is the highest recorded in the region since reliable records began in 1990.
Africa’s murder rate (13.0) is also above the global average.
Asia, Europe and Oceania all have a murder rate below the global average: 2.3, 3.0 and 2.8 respectively.
81% of homicide victims recorded in 2017 were male.
90% of suspects in homicide incidents were male.
Latin America and Caribbean countries have nine of 10 highest homicide rates in the world.
Organized crime alone was responsible for up to 19% of all homicides in 2017.
A map of countries by murder rate
Countries by murder rate – complete ranking
The table below ranks the world’s countries by their murder rate using intentional homicides per 100,000 people.
It draws on the latest data available from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s International Homicide Statistics database made available through the World Bank.
Some countries have been omitted due to insufficient or unreliable data.
