Every 70 seconds, a life is taken by intentional homicide worldwide, a staggering reality where men aged 15-29 face the greatest risk, Latin America endures the highest regional violence, and firearms are responsible for nearly half of these tragic deaths.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, there were an estimated 458,000 intentional homicides worldwide, equivalent to one homicide every 70 seconds
- The global homicide rate in 2021 stood at 5.8 per 100,000 population, with Latin America and the Caribbean having the highest regional rate at 19.5 per 100,000
- Between 2010 and 2020, Africa saw a 14% increase in homicide rates, reaching 13.0 per 100,000 in 2021
- In 2022, the US recorded 21,156 murders, a 6.1% decrease from 2021's 22,510
- The US national murder rate in 2022 was 6.3 per 100,000, down from 6.8 in 2021
- In 2022, handguns were used in 53% of US firearm homicides, totaling about 10,000 cases
- Males aged 18-24 had US homicide rate of 37.5 per 100,000 in 2022
- In the US, black males aged 15-34 faced homicide rate 20 times higher than white females in 2022
- Globally, 15-29 year olds comprise 37% of homicide victims despite being 16% of population
- US homicide rates fell 7% from 1993 peak of 9.5 to 2022's 6.3 per 100,000
- Globally, homicide rates declined 20% from 2000-2021 in reporting countries
- US murders rose 30% from 2019 to 2021, peaking at 22,900
- Firearms used in 79% of US homicides in 2022, up from 67% in 2010
- Globally, handguns involved in 42% of firearm homicides in 2021
- In US 2022, knives/sharp objects used in 15% of murders
Global homicide rates are high with major regional disparities, though trends show some recent declines.
Demographic Statistics
- Males aged 18-24 had US homicide rate of 37.5 per 100,000 in 2022
- In the US, black males aged 15-34 faced homicide rate 20 times higher than white females in 2022
- Globally, 15-29 year olds comprise 37% of homicide victims despite being 16% of population
- In 2021, 82% of homicide perpetrators worldwide were male
- US females accounted for 21% of homicide victims in 2022, 89% killed by known males
- In Latin America 2021, 95% of homicide victims were male
- Elderly (65+) homicide victimization rate globally is 2.0 per 100,000 vs 10.5 for 15-29
- In US 2022, Hispanics were 19% of homicide victims, rate 6.9 per 100,000
- Children under 5 have global homicide rate of 2.6 per 100,000, often by family
- In Europe 2021, migrant homicide victimization 1.5 times native rate
- US Asian/Pacific Islander homicide rate 1.7 per 100,000 in 2022, lowest racial group
- Females aged 15-29 are 11% of global female homicide victims
- In South Africa 2021, 87% homicide victims male, peak age 25-34
- US Native American homicide rate 12.8 per 100,000 in 2022
- Globally, 6% of homicide victims under 14 years old in 2021
- In Brazil 2021, 91% victims male, 50% aged 15-29
- US white females homicide rate 2.8 per 100,000 in 2022
- 75% of US female homicide victims killed by intimate partner or family in 2022
- In Mexico 2021, 93% perpetrators male, average age 32 years
- Global rural homicide rate 50% lower than urban areas in 2021
- US black females rate 11.6 per 100,000 vs 2.9 white females in 2022
- In Canada 2022, Indigenous people 5% population but 24% homicide victims
- Globally, 45% perpetrators known to victims, higher for females at 70%
- US homicide offenders 52% black in 2022 despite 13% population
- In Australia 2022, 41% victims female, mostly intimate partner killings
- US males 75+ homicide rate 4.2 per 100,000 in 2022
- In UK 2022/23, 41% knife homicide victims black
- Global peak homicide offending age 25-34 for males
Demographic Statistics Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of homicide paints a world where young men, especially those in marginalized communities, are both the primary architects and the overwhelming canvas of this violence, while women face a more intimate terror from those they know.
Global Homicide Statistics
- In 2021, there were an estimated 458,000 intentional homicides worldwide, equivalent to one homicide every 70 seconds
- The global homicide rate in 2021 stood at 5.8 per 100,000 population, with Latin America and the Caribbean having the highest regional rate at 19.5 per 100,000
- Between 2010 and 2020, Africa saw a 14% increase in homicide rates, reaching 13.0 per 100,000 in 2021
- In 2021, 81% of global homicide victims were men, primarily aged 15-29 years old
- Organized crime and gangs accounted for 50% of homicides in the Americas in 2021
- Asia had the lowest regional homicide rate in 2021 at 2.3 per 100,000 population
- Europe recorded 3,700 homicides in 2021, with a rate of 3.0 per 100,000
- Oceania's homicide rate was 2.8 per 100,000 in 2021, with intimate partner/family-related homicides comprising 37%
- In 2021, firearms were used in 45% of homicides globally where method was known
- Brazil reported 47,508 homicides in 2021, the highest absolute number globally
- Mexico's homicide rate reached 28.2 per 100,000 in 2021, driven by organized crime
- South Africa had a homicide rate of 36.4 per 100,000 in 2021
- India recorded approximately 29,000 homicides in 2021, rate of 2.1 per 100,000
- Russia saw 7,958 homicides in 2021, rate of 5.4 per 100,000
- The United States had 24,576 homicides in 2021, rate of 7.4 per 100,000
- In 2021, 58,000 women and girls were victims of intimate partner/family-related homicides globally
- Homicide is the fourth leading cause of death for men aged 15-44 worldwide
- Between 2004-2021, global homicide numbers decreased by 13%, from 528,000 to 458,000
- In 2021, 85 countries reported data on homicide perpetrators, with 97% being male
- Central America had a homicide rate of 18.3 per 100,000 in 2021
- Western Africa recorded the highest sub-regional rate in Africa at 13.7 per 100,000 in 2021
- Eastern Asia had a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 in 2021, lowest globally
- In 2021, sharp objects were used in 20% of global homicides
- Colombia reported 12,613 homicides in 2021, rate of 25.0 per 100,000
- Venezuela's homicide rate was estimated at 40.4 per 100,000 in 2021
- Nigeria had approximately 48,000 homicides in 2021, highest in Africa
- Philippines recorded 3,282 homicides in 2021, rate of 2.9 per 100,000
- In 2021, 6% of global homicides were committed by firearms in Asia
- Global homicide victimization rate for women was 2.2 per 100,000 in 2021
- In 2021, intimate partner homicides accounted for 64% of female homicides globally
Global Homicide Statistics Interpretation
This relentless 70-second drumbeat of global violence reveals a world where geography, gender, and gang affiliation are the grim predictors of a fate that claims a young man's life every minute, while a woman's greatest danger still too often waits at home.
Trends and Rates Over Time
- US homicide rates fell 7% from 1993 peak of 9.5 to 2022's 6.3 per 100,000
- Globally, homicide rates declined 20% from 2000-2021 in reporting countries
- US murders rose 30% from 2019 to 2021, peaking at 22,900
- Latin America homicide rate dropped 9% from 2017-2021 to 19.5 per 100,000
- Europe homicide rate stable at 0.9-1.2 per 100,000 from 2010-2021
- US 2020-2022 saw 25% homicide spike then 12% drop
- Global firearm homicide share fell from 50% in 2010 to 45% in 2021
- Brazil homicides declined 22% from 2017 peak of 59,000 to 47,500 in 2021
- Mexico murders increased 50% from 2015-2021 to 34,000 annually
- US clearance rates dropped from 64% in 2007 to 52% in 2022
- Africa homicide rates rose 11% from 2010-2021
- Canada homicides up 37% from 2019-2022 to 870 cases
- UK homicides stable 600-700 annually 2010-2023, rate 1.2 per 100k
- US gun homicides up 45% from 2019-2021 then down 3% in 2022
- Asia homicide rates halved from 1990-2021 to 2.3 per 100,000
- Chicago homicides down 50% from 2016 peak of 771 to 386 in 2023
- Global intimate partner femicide stable at 58,000 annually 2010-2021
- US youth homicides (1-24) up 50% 2019-2021 to 6,000+
- El Salvador rate fell 90% from 2015 peak 103 to 7.8 per 100k in 2023
- South Africa homicides up 14% 2021-2022 to 27,494 cases
- US murders per capita lowest in 50 years outside pandemic spike, 5.5 in 2014
- Venezuela rate down 70% from 2016 peak 60+ to 18.8 in 2023
- Australia homicides declined 20% 1990-2022 to 0.8 per 100k
- NYC homicides down 80% from 1990 peak 2,245 to 391 in 2023
- Global homicide numbers down 13% 2004-2021 despite population growth
- US black homicide rates down 30% 1993-2019 before pandemic rise
- Honduras rate fell 85% 2013-2023 from 90 to 13 per 100k
Trends and Rates Over Time Interpretation
While the long-term trend of global murder rates is encouragingly downward, the recent pandemic-era spikes and stark regional disparities—from the astonishing success of some Latin American nations to the stubborn rise in firearm violence and plummeting clearance rates in the US—reveal a world where the story of homicide is not one of uniform progress but of volatile battles being won and lost in dramatically different ways.
United States Homicide Statistics
- In 2022, the US recorded 21,156 murders, a 6.1% decrease from 2021's 22,510
- The US national murder rate in 2022 was 6.3 per 100,000, down from 6.8 in 2021
- In 2022, handguns were used in 53% of US firearm homicides, totaling about 10,000 cases
- US homicide victims aged 1-24 numbered 12,478 in 2022, rate of 14.8 per 100,000
- Black Americans had a 2022 homicide victimization rate of 29.0 per 100,000, 8 times higher than whites at 3.3
- In 2022, 79% of US murder victims were male
- Chicago reported 617 homicides in 2022, rate of 23.1 per 100,000
- Philadelphia had 516 homicides in 2022, highest on record prior to 2023 decline
- In 2022, 14,637 handgun homicides occurred in the US, per FBI data
- US states with highest 2022 murder rates: Louisiana 19.9, Mississippi 20.5, Alabama 15.9 per 100,000
- Firearms were used in 77% of US homicides in 2022
- In 2022, gang-related homicides accounted for 13% of US murders, per NCVS estimates
- Black males aged 15-34 had a 2022 homicide rate of 101.1 per 100,000 in the US
- Domestic violence homicides in the US totaled 1,802 in 2022, per VPC data
- New York City reported 438 homicides in 2022, down 19% from 2021
- Los Angeles had 382 homicides in 2022
- In 2022, 48% of US murders occurred in 30 cities
- US homicide clearance rate was 52.3% in 2022
- Baltimore's 2022 homicide rate was 58.3 per 100,000 with 318 murders
- St. Louis had the highest US city rate at 69.4 per 100,000 in 2022 with 200 homicides
- In 2022, 3,281 children under 18 were homicide victims in the US
- Hispanic US homicide victimization rate was 7.9 per 100,000 in 2022
- In 2022, 79% of known US murder offenders were male
- Detroit reported 309 homicides in 2022, rate of 41.0 per 100,000
- Memphis had 328 homicides in 2022, rate of 52.3 per 100,000
- In 2022, intimate partner homicides made up 10% of US female murders
- US murders involving multiple victims numbered 1,234 in 2022
- New Orleans 2022 homicide count was 278, rate 71.7 per 100,000
- In 2022, rifles/assault weapons used in 4% of US gun murders
- Cleveland's 2022 rate was 33.7 per 100,000 with 86 homicides
- In 2022, 54% of US murders cleared by arrest within agencies reporting
- Washington DC had 274 homicides in 2022, highest since 1997, rate 41.9 per 100,000
- Black males comprised 50% of US homicide victims in 2022 despite being 6% of population
United States Homicide Statistics Interpretation
While the overall murder rate dipped slightly in 2022, the data reveals a grimly consistent pattern: the violence remains lethally concentrated by geography, overwhelmingly committed with handguns, and bears a devastating and disproportionate toll on young Black men in America's cities.
Weapons and Methods
- Firearms used in 79% of US homicides in 2022, up from 67% in 2010
- Globally, handguns involved in 42% of firearm homicides in 2021
- In US 2022, knives/sharp objects used in 15% of murders
- Latin America saw 75% of 2021 homicides by firearms
- UK 2022/23: knives in 41% of homicides, firearms 5%
- US strangulation/asphyxiation in 11% of female homicides 2022
- Globally, blunt force in 10% of homicides 2021
- Brazil 2021: 70% firearm homicides
- Canada 2022: firearms 27% of homicides, up from 15% in 2010
- US 2022 rifles used in 2% of gun murders (447 cases)
- Africa 2021: sharp objects 42% of homicides, firearms 30%
- Mexico 2021: 70% homicides by firearms
- Australia 2022: knives 30%, firearms 13% of homicides
- US personal weapons (hands/feet) in 8% of 2022 murders
- Europe 2021: sharp instruments 37%, firearms 15%
- South Africa 2022: firearms 63%, sharp objects 23%
- US shotguns in 1% of gun homicides 2022
- Asia 2021: other means 60%, firearms 6%
- Chicago 2022: 85% gun homicides
- Globally, unknown/other weapons 19% of 2021 homicides
- NYC 2022: guns 73%, sharp 14% of homicides
- US other guns (non-handgun) 7% of firearm murders 2022
- UK firearms down to 29 cases in 2022/23 from 75 in 2006
- Venezuela 2021: firearms 75% of homicides
Weapons and Methods Interpretation
A sobering lesson in global homicide methods that underscores America's grim and growing firearm monopoly, where despite endless debate over rifles and shotguns, handguns overwhelmingly remain the principal instrument of murder, a uniquely lethal trend far exceeding most of the world.
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