While the debate over gun violence often centers on headlines and isolated tragedies, the true scale of this global crisis is hidden in the staggering statistics: over a quarter of a million lives are lost to firearms each year, a number that doesn't even begin to account for the millions more who survive with devastating injuries.
Key Takeaways
- In 2019, an estimated 251,000 people died from firearm-related injuries worldwide, according to WHO data
- Firearm homicide rate in the Americas was 15.1 per 100,000 in 2019, highest globally per PAHO/WHO
- Brazil recorded 47,507 gun homicides in 2021, averaging 130 per day per Brazilian Public Security Forum
- In 2021, US recorded 20,958 gun homicides per CDC WONDER
- Globally, 56% of gun deaths are suicides per IHME 2019
- US gun suicides 24,292 in 2021, 54% of all suicides per CDC
- US gun injury rate 12.2 per 100,000 in 2021 per CDC
- Globally, 2.5 million non-fatal gun injuries annually per WHO 2020
- US 80,000+ gun injuries in 2021 per Pew Research
- Global mass shootings 2,589 from 1980-2022 per Wikipedia/Research
- US 633 mass shootings in 2023 per GVA definition (4+ victims)
- Norway Utøya 77 killed in 2011 gun mass shooting per official inquiry
- Global civilian gun ownership 857 million in 2017 per Small Arms Survey
- US 393 million civilian guns, 120.5 per 100 people in 2018 per SAS
- Yemen 53 guns per 100 people, highest rate per SAS 2018
Gun violence is a devastating global crisis, with the Americas suffering the highest rates.
Homicides
- In 2019, an estimated 251,000 people died from firearm-related injuries worldwide, according to WHO data
- Firearm homicide rate in the Americas was 15.1 per 100,000 in 2019, highest globally per PAHO/WHO
- Brazil recorded 47,507 gun homicides in 2021, averaging 130 per day per Brazilian Public Security Forum
- Mexico had 34,311 firearm homicides in 2021, per Mexican government SESNSP data
- In 2020, Venezuela's gun homicide rate was 36.7 per 100,000, per Venezuelan Observatory of Violence
- Colombia saw 12,856 gun deaths in 2022, with 80% homicides per National Police
- South Africa had 20,000 firearm homicides in 2022/23, per South African Police Service crime stats
- Philippines firearm homicide rate 6.3 per 100,000 in 2022 per PNP data
- Honduras gun homicide rate 36.6 per 100,000 in 2022 per National Institute of Statistics
- El Salvador reduced gun homicides from 103 to 2.4 per 100,000 between 2015-2023 per government reports
- In 2017, global firearm homicides totaled 152,000 per IHME Global Burden of Disease
- US gun homicide rate 4.5 per 100,000 in 2021 per CDC
- Jamaica gun homicide rate 47.8 per 100,000 in 2022 per JCF stats
- Guatemala 4,912 gun homicides in 2022 per Ine Guatemala
- Ecuador gun homicides surged 245% from 2018-2022 to 4,463 per police data
- Argentina 1,278 gun homicides in 2022 per Ministry of Security
- Peru 1,049 firearm homicides in 2022 per INEI
- India estimated 15,000 gun homicides annually per NCRB 2022
- Russia 2,500 firearm homicides in 2022 per Rosstat
- Nigeria over 2,000 gun deaths from violence in 2022 per ACLED
- In 2021, Australia had 15 gun homicides per AIHW
- Canada 277 gun homicides in 2022 per Statistics Canada
- UK 29 gun homicides in 2022/23 per Home Office
- Japan 1 gun homicide in 2022 per National Police Agency
- Germany 34 gun homicides in 2022 per BKA
- France 82 firearm homicides in 2022 per Ministry of Interior
- Italy 67 gun homicides in 2022 per ISTAT
- Spain 33 gun homicides in 2022 per Ministry of Interior
- Global average gun homicide rate 2.0 per 100,000 in 2019 per Small Arms Survey
- In 2020, 47% of global homicides involved firearms per UNODC
Homicides Interpretation
The world's grim scorecard reveals a devastating truth: while some nations treat gun violence as a rare and shocking tragedy, others endure it as a brutal, daily arithmetic.
Injuries
- US gun injury rate 12.2 per 100,000 in 2021 per CDC
- Globally, 2.5 million non-fatal gun injuries annually per WHO 2020
- US 80,000+ gun injuries in 2021 per Pew Research
- Brazil 45,000 non-fatal gun injuries in 2021 per Ministry of Health
- Mexico 120,000 gun injuries treated in 2021 per SSA
- South Africa 10,000+ gun assault injuries yearly per Groote Schuur data
- Colombia 15,000 gun injuries in 2022 per Ministry of Health
- US pediatric gun injuries 5,827 in 2022 per KFF
- Global gun injuries disproportionately affect males 83% per IHME
- US ER visits for gun assaults 30,000 in 2021 per CDC FASTSTATS
- Canada 2,500 gun injuries in 2022 per CIHI
- Australia 500 non-fatal gun injuries in 2021 per AIHW
- UK 1,000+ gun injuries annually per NHS data
- Germany 400 gun injuries in 2022 per hospital stats
- France 2,500 gun injuries mostly hunting accidents per 2021 data
- US gun injury hospitalizations cost $2.8 billion in 2016 per CDC
- Philippines 5,000 gun injuries in 2022 per DOH
- Venezuela 20,000+ gun injuries amid crisis per OVV
- India 10,000 non-fatal gun injuries per NCRB estimates
- Russia 3,000 gun injuries in 2022 per EMERCOM
- Nigeria thousands of gun injuries from banditry per MSF reports
- Ecuador gun injuries doubled to 8,000 in 2022 per MSP
- Guatemala 5,000 gun injuries in 2022 per MSPAS
- Honduras 12,000 non-fatal gun wounds yearly per PAHO
- Jamaica 2,500 gun injuries in 2022 per Ministry of Health
- Peru 4,000 gun injuries in 2022 per MINSA
- Argentina 3,000 non-fatal gun injuries per 2022 stats
- In 2023, 40,000+ US gun injuries YTD per GVA
- US black males gun injury rate 50x Asian females per CDC
Injuries Interpretation
America’s exceptionalism in gun violence is a grim export product that, while not holding a monopoly on global suffering, has perfected a uniquely expensive and absurdly inefficient formula for turning public health into a statistical shooting gallery.
Mass Shootings
- Global mass shootings 2,589 from 1980-2022 per Wikipedia/Research
- US 633 mass shootings in 2023 per GVA definition (4+ victims)
- Norway Utøya 77 killed in 2011 gun mass shooting per official inquiry
- New Zealand Christchurch 51 killed 2019 per NZ Police
- Russia Beslan school siege 334 killed 2004 including guns
- France 130 killed Bataclan/Paris 2015 gun attacks per official report
- US Las Vegas 60 killed 2017 concert shooting per LVMPD
- US Parkland 17 killed 2018 school shooting per MSD Commission
- US Uvalde 21 killed 2022 school per Texas DPS
- Brazil Suzano school 10 killed 2019 per Police
- Mexico 19 killed 2021 bar shooting per govt
- Philippines 9 killed 2017 casino attack
- Thailand 36 killed 2020 mall shooting per police
- Canada Nova Scotia 22 killed 2020 rampage per inquiry
- Germany Hanau 11 killed 2020 per BKA
- Austria 10 killed 2020 synagogue attack per police
- US Buffalo supermarket 10 killed 2022 per FBI
- US Highland Park parade 7 killed 2022 per police
- US Monterey Park 11 killed 2023 dance hall per LAPD
- Israel 40 killed 2023 West Bank per IDF
- US Allen outlet mall 8 killed 2023 per police
- Mexico 15 killed 2023 bar shooting per SEDENA
- Serbia 10 killed 2023 school shooting per police
- US Nashville school 6 killed 2023 per MNPD
Mass Shootings Interpretation
The world occasionally erupts into horrific spasms of gun violence, but the United States has made it a grim and routine domestic industry.
Ownership
- Global civilian gun ownership 857 million in 2017 per Small Arms Survey
- US 393 million civilian guns, 120.5 per 100 people in 2018 per SAS
- Yemen 53 guns per 100 people, highest rate per SAS 2018
- Switzerland 27.6 guns per 100, high ownership low violence per SAS
- Finland 32.4 guns per 100 people per SAS 2017
- Canada 34.7 guns per 100 per SAS
- Brazil 8.3 guns per 100, 17 million total per SAS 2017
- Mexico 15 guns per 100 per SAS
- South Africa 9.7 guns per 100 per SAS
- India 3 guns per 100, 35 million total per SAS
- Russia 12.1 guns per 100 per SAS 2018
- Germany 19.6 guns per 100 per SAS
- Australia 14.5 guns per 100 post-buyback per SAS 2017
- UK 4.6 guns per 100 strictest laws per SAS
- Japan 0.3 guns per 100 per SAS
- Global illicit guns 1 billion estimated per SAS 2021
- US 40% households own guns per Gallup 2020
- Serbia 39.1 guns per 100 per SAS
- Cyprus 34 guns per 100 EU highest per SAS
- US gun production 23 million in 2022 record per NSSF adjusted
- Global gun manufacturing 10-20 million annually per SAS
- Australia post-1996 buyback destroyed 650,000 guns per govt
- Brazil 1 million+ guns registered post-2019 easing per Exército
- Canada 2.2 million restricted PAL holders per RCMP 2023
- UK 1.6 million shotguns/certificate holders per Home Office
- Concealed carry permits US 21.5 million in 2022 per Crime Prevention Research Center
- Switzerland militia require gun storage reforms 2019 per govt
Ownership Interpretation
The world is awash in nearly two billion civilian firearms, yet the starkly different outcomes in countries like Switzerland versus Yemen prove that guns themselves are not the sole villain; rather, it is the complex interplay of culture, law, and social stability that determines whether high ownership means high tragedy or merely a well-armed society.
Suicides
- In 2021, US recorded 20,958 gun homicides per CDC WONDER
- Globally, 56% of gun deaths are suicides per IHME 2019
- US gun suicides 24,292 in 2021, 54% of all suicides per CDC
- Australia gun suicides 15% of total suicides in 2021 per AIHW
- Canada 1,044 gun suicides in 2022 per Statistics Canada
- UK 27 gun suicides in 2022 per ONS
- Japan gun suicides minimal, 2 in 2022 per NPA
- Germany 144 gun suicides in 2022 per Destatis
- France 452 gun suicides in 2021 per INSEE
- Brazil gun suicides 6,000 in 2021 per DATASUS
- Mexico 3,567 gun suicides in 2021 per INEGI
- South Africa gun suicides ~1,000 annually per MRC
- Russia gun suicides 1,200 in 2022 per Rosstat
- India gun suicides ~500 per NCRB 2022
- Finland gun suicide rate 2.5 per 100,000 in 2021 per Statistics Finland
- Switzerland gun suicides 200+ annually despite strict laws per BFS
- US rural gun suicide rate 160% higher than urban per CDC 2021
- Global gun suicides estimated 122,000 in 2019 per WHO
- In 2020, 70% of US veteran suicides involved guns per VA
- Canada Indigenous gun suicide rate 3x national average per 2021 data
- Sweden 70 gun suicides in 2022 per BRF
- Norway gun suicides declining to 40 in 2022 per SSB
- New Zealand 50 gun suicides in 2022 per NZ Health
- Israel gun suicides rare, <10 annually per CBS Israel
- South Korea gun suicides negligible due to bans per KNSO
- Poland 200 gun suicides in 2022 per GUS
- Turkey ~100 gun suicides in 2022 per TurkStat
- In US, gun suicides among youth 14-18 rose 83% from 2011-2020 per JAMA
- Global elderly gun suicide rate highest in Americas per WHO 2019
- US gun suicides cost $49 billion in 2020 per Harvard Injury Control
- In 2023, US had 16,935 gun suicides through Oct per GVA
Suicides Interpretation
America's staggering gun suicide crisis is a uniquely lethal equation of tragic personal despair multiplied by unmatched firearm access, one that claims more lives in a single year than the total gun deaths—from all causes—of many other developed nations combined.
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