Costa Rica vs Guatemala: Homicide rate, WHO vs. UNODC
Costa Rica
17.75 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2023
Guatemala
23.37 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2023
Costa Rica rank
23rd
Guatemala rank
20th
Homicide rate, WHO vs. UNODC over time
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
How they compare
Guatemala currently reports 23.37 homicides per 100,000 population against 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population in Costa Rica, a difference of 5.62 homicides per 100,000 population.
That makes Guatemala's figure about 1.3 times Costa Rica's.
Across all 30 years both countries report, Guatemala has been ahead every year.
Costa Rica ranks 23rd and Guatemala ranks 20th of 179 countries.
Guatemala has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Guatemala | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.41 homicides per 100,000 population | 31.11 homicides per 100,000 population | 25.7 homicides per 100,000 population | Guatemala |
| 2000s | 8.06 homicides per 100,000 population | 36.85 homicides per 100,000 population | 28.79 homicides per 100,000 population | Guatemala |
| 2010s | 10.58 homicides per 100,000 population | 33.54 homicides per 100,000 population | 22.96 homicides per 100,000 population | Guatemala |
| 2020s | 13.4 homicides per 100,000 population | 20.96 homicides per 100,000 population | 7.56 homicides per 100,000 population | Guatemala |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher homicide rate, who vs. unodc, Costa Rica or Guatemala?
- Guatemala, at 23.37 homicides per 100,000 population against 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population in Costa Rica as of 2023.
- What is the difference in homicide rate, who vs. unodc between Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 5.62 homicides per 100,000 population, with Guatemala ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Guatemala?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1992 to 2023.
- How do Costa Rica and Guatemala rank globally for homicide rate, who vs. unodc?
- Costa Rica ranks 23rd and Guatemala ranks 20th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Homicide rate, WHO vs. UNODC. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population.