Every day, gun violence leaves measurable damage, and the latest figures make that cost hard to ignore. WHO estimates that about 251,000 people died from firearm related injuries worldwide in 2019, while the Americas alone recorded a firearm homicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 in 2019 and countries as different as Brazil and Colombia logged dramatically different outcomes. This post pulls together the global dataset behind those contrasts, from non fatal injuries to homicide and suicide rates, so the patterns do not blur into headlines.
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
- 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
- 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
In 2019, about 251,000 people died worldwide from firearm injuries, while gun harm persists globally.
Related reading
Homicides
1In 2019, an estimated 251,000 people died from firearm-related injuries worldwide, according to WHO data
Verified
2Firearm homicide rate in the Americas was 15.1 per 100,000 in 2019, highest globally per PAHO/WHO
Directional
3Brazil recorded 47,507 gun homicides in 2021, averaging 130 per day per Brazilian Public Security Forum
Directional
4Mexico had 34,311 firearm homicides in 2021, per Mexican government SESNSP data
Single source
5In 2020, Venezuela's gun homicide rate was 36.7 per 100,000, per Venezuelan Observatory of Violence
Verified
6Colombia saw 12,856 gun deaths in 2022, with 80% homicides per National Police
Verified
7South Africa had 20,000 firearm homicides in 2022/23, per South African Police Service crime stats
Directional
8Philippines firearm homicide rate 6.3 per 100,000 in 2022 per PNP data
Single source
9Honduras gun homicide rate 36.6 per 100,000 in 2022 per National Institute of Statistics
Single source
10El Salvador reduced gun homicides from 103 to 2.4 per 100,000 between 2015-2023 per government reports
Verified
11In 2017, global firearm homicides totaled 152,000 per IHME Global Burden of Disease
Verified
12US gun homicide rate 4.5 per 100,000 in 2021 per CDC
Verified
13Jamaica gun homicide rate 47.8 per 100,000 in 2022 per JCF stats
Directional
14Guatemala 4,912 gun homicides in 2022 per Ine Guatemala
Single source
15Ecuador gun homicides surged 245% from 2018-2022 to 4,463 per police data
Directional
16Argentina 1,278 gun homicides in 2022 per Ministry of Security
Single source
17Peru 1,049 firearm homicides in 2022 per INEI
Verified
18India estimated 15,000 gun homicides annually per NCRB 2022
Directional
19Russia 2,500 firearm homicides in 2022 per Rosstat
Verified
20Nigeria over 2,000 gun deaths from violence in 2022 per ACLED
Single source
21In 2021, Australia had 15 gun homicides per AIHW
Verified
22Canada 277 gun homicides in 2022 per Statistics Canada
Verified
23UK 29 gun homicides in 2022/23 per Home Office
Verified
24Japan 1 gun homicide in 2022 per National Police Agency
Verified
25Germany 34 gun homicides in 2022 per BKA
Verified
26France 82 firearm homicides in 2022 per Ministry of Interior
Verified
27Italy 67 gun homicides in 2022 per ISTAT
Verified
28Spain 33 gun homicides in 2022 per Ministry of Interior
Verified
29Global average gun homicide rate 2.0 per 100,000 in 2019 per Small Arms Survey
Directional
30In 2020, 47% of global homicides involved firearms per UNODC
Verified
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.
More related reading
Injuries
1US gun injury rate 12.2 per 100,000 in 2021 per CDC
Single source
2Globally, 2.5 million non-fatal gun injuries annually per WHO 2020
Verified
3US 80,000+ gun injuries in 2021 per Pew Research
Verified
4Brazil 45,000 non-fatal gun injuries in 2021 per Ministry of Health
Verified
5Mexico 120,000 gun injuries treated in 2021 per SSA
Verified
6South Africa 10,000+ gun assault injuries yearly per Groote Schuur data
Verified
7Colombia 15,000 gun injuries in 2022 per Ministry of Health
Single source
8US pediatric gun injuries 5,827 in 2022 per KFF
Verified
9Global gun injuries disproportionately affect males 83% per IHME
Verified
10US ER visits for gun assaults 30,000 in 2021 per CDC FASTSTATS
Verified
11Canada 2,500 gun injuries in 2022 per CIHI
Verified
12Australia 500 non-fatal gun injuries in 2021 per AIHW
Verified
13UK 1,000+ gun injuries annually per NHS data
Single source
14Germany 400 gun injuries in 2022 per hospital stats
Verified
15France 2,500 gun injuries mostly hunting accidents per 2021 data
Verified
16US gun injury hospitalizations cost $2.8 billion in 2016 per CDC
Single source
17Philippines 5,000 gun injuries in 2022 per DOH
Directional
18Venezuela 20,000+ gun injuries amid crisis per OVV
Directional
19India 10,000 non-fatal gun injuries per NCRB estimates
Verified
20Russia 3,000 gun injuries in 2022 per EMERCOM
Single source
21Nigeria thousands of gun injuries from banditry per MSF reports
Directional
22Ecuador gun injuries doubled to 8,000 in 2022 per MSP
Verified
23Guatemala 5,000 gun injuries in 2022 per MSPAS
Directional
24Honduras 12,000 non-fatal gun wounds yearly per PAHO
Directional
25Jamaica 2,500 gun injuries in 2022 per Ministry of Health
Verified
26Peru 4,000 gun injuries in 2022 per MINSA
Single source
27Argentina 3,000 non-fatal gun injuries per 2022 stats
Single source
28In 2023, 40,000+ US gun injuries YTD per GVA
Verified
29US black males gun injury rate 50x Asian females per CDC
Verified
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.
More related reading
Mass Shootings
1Global mass shootings 2,589 from 1980-2022 per Wikipedia/Research
Verified
2US 633 mass shootings in 2023 per GVA definition (4+ victims)
Verified
3Norway Utøya 77 killed in 2011 gun mass shooting per official inquiry
Verified
4New Zealand Christchurch 51 killed 2019 per NZ Police
Directional
5Russia Beslan school siege 334 killed 2004 including guns
Verified
6France 130 killed Bataclan/Paris 2015 gun attacks per official report
Verified
7US Las Vegas 60 killed 2017 concert shooting per LVMPD
Verified
8US Parkland 17 killed 2018 school shooting per MSD Commission
Verified
9US Uvalde 21 killed 2022 school per Texas DPS
Verified
10Brazil Suzano school 10 killed 2019 per Police
Directional
11Mexico 19 killed 2021 bar shooting per govt
Verified
12Philippines 9 killed 2017 casino attack
Verified
13Thailand 36 killed 2020 mall shooting per police
Verified
14Canada Nova Scotia 22 killed 2020 rampage per inquiry
Single source
15Germany Hanau 11 killed 2020 per BKA
Verified
16Austria 10 killed 2020 synagogue attack per police
Verified
17US Buffalo supermarket 10 killed 2022 per FBI
Single source
18US Highland Park parade 7 killed 2022 per police
Verified
19US Monterey Park 11 killed 2023 dance hall per LAPD
Single source
20Israel 40 killed 2023 West Bank per IDF
Single source
21US Allen outlet mall 8 killed 2023 per police
Verified
22Mexico 15 killed 2023 bar shooting per SEDENA
Directional
23Serbia 10 killed 2023 school shooting per police
Directional
24US Nashville school 6 killed 2023 per MNPD
Verified
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.
More related reading
Ownership
1Global civilian gun ownership 857 million in 2017 per Small Arms Survey
Verified
2US 393 million civilian guns, 120.5 per 100 people in 2018 per SAS
Verified
3Yemen 53 guns per 100 people, highest rate per SAS 2018
Verified
4Switzerland 27.6 guns per 100, high ownership low violence per SAS
Verified
5Finland 32.4 guns per 100 people per SAS 2017
Single source
6Canada 34.7 guns per 100 per SAS
Verified
7Brazil 8.3 guns per 100, 17 million total per SAS 2017
Verified
8Mexico 15 guns per 100 per SAS
Verified
9South Africa 9.7 guns per 100 per SAS
Verified
10India 3 guns per 100, 35 million total per SAS
Verified
11Russia 12.1 guns per 100 per SAS 2018
Single source
12Germany 19.6 guns per 100 per SAS
Verified
13Australia 14.5 guns per 100 post-buyback per SAS 2017
Verified
14UK 4.6 guns per 100 strictest laws per SAS
Single source
15Japan 0.3 guns per 100 per SAS
Verified
16Global illicit guns 1 billion estimated per SAS 2021
Single source
17US 40% households own guns per Gallup 2020
Single source
18Serbia 39.1 guns per 100 per SAS
Directional
19Cyprus 34 guns per 100 EU highest per SAS
Verified
20US gun production 23 million in 2022 record per NSSF adjusted
Single source
21Global gun manufacturing 10-20 million annually per SAS
Verified
22Australia post-1996 buyback destroyed 650,000 guns per govt
Directional
23Brazil 1 million+ guns registered post-2019 easing per Exército
Verified
24Canada 2.2 million restricted PAL holders per RCMP 2023
Verified
25UK 1.6 million shotguns/certificate holders per Home Office
Verified
26Concealed carry permits US 21.5 million in 2022 per Crime Prevention Research Center
Verified
27Switzerland militia require gun storage reforms 2019 per govt
Single source
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.
More related reading
Suicides
1In 2021, US recorded 20,958 gun homicides per CDC WONDER
Verified
2Globally, 56% of gun deaths are suicides per IHME 2019
Verified
3US gun suicides 24,292 in 2021, 54% of all suicides per CDC
Verified
4Australia gun suicides 15% of total suicides in 2021 per AIHW
Verified
5Canada 1,044 gun suicides in 2022 per Statistics Canada
Single source
6UK 27 gun suicides in 2022 per ONS
Verified
7Japan gun suicides minimal, 2 in 2022 per NPA
Verified
8Germany 144 gun suicides in 2022 per Destatis
Verified
9France 452 gun suicides in 2021 per INSEE
Verified
10Brazil gun suicides 6,000 in 2021 per DATASUS
Verified
11Mexico 3,567 gun suicides in 2021 per INEGI
Directional
12South Africa gun suicides ~1,000 annually per MRC
Directional
13Russia gun suicides 1,200 in 2022 per Rosstat
Single source
14India gun suicides ~500 per NCRB 2022
Verified
15Finland gun suicide rate 2.5 per 100,000 in 2021 per Statistics Finland
Verified
16Switzerland gun suicides 200+ annually despite strict laws per BFS
Directional
17US rural gun suicide rate 160% higher than urban per CDC 2021
Single source
18Global gun suicides estimated 122,000 in 2019 per WHO
Single source
19In 2020, 70% of US veteran suicides involved guns per VA
Verified
20Canada Indigenous gun suicide rate 3x national average per 2021 data
Single source
21Sweden 70 gun suicides in 2022 per BRF
Verified
22Norway gun suicides declining to 40 in 2022 per SSB
Verified
23New Zealand 50 gun suicides in 2022 per NZ Health
Directional
24Israel gun suicides rare, <10 annually per CBS Israel
Verified
25South Korea gun suicides negligible due to bans per KNSO
Verified
26Poland 200 gun suicides in 2022 per GUS
Verified
27Turkey ~100 gun suicides in 2022 per TurkStat
Verified
28In US, gun suicides among youth 14-18 rose 83% from 2011-2020 per JAMA
Verified
29Global elderly gun suicide rate highest in Americas per WHO 2019
Verified
30US gun suicides cost $49 billion in 2020 per Harvard Injury Control
Verified
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.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). World Gun Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/world-gun-violence-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "World Gun Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/world-gun-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "World Gun Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/world-gun-violence-statistics.
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