Brazil vs United States: Homicides

Brazil
45,596 deaths
in 2021
United States
24,849 deaths
in 2022
Brazil rank
1st
United States rank
3rd

Homicides over time

  • Brazil
  • United States
020.0k40.0k60.0k195019862022

How they compare

Brazil currently reports 45,596 deaths against 24,849 deaths in United States, a difference of 20,747 deaths.

That makes Brazil's figure about 1.8 times United States's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 43 shared years of data; in 1979 it was United States ahead.

Brazil ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 113 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 4 and United States in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Brazil United States Difference Ahead
1970s 11,180 deaths 22,202 deaths 11,022 deaths United States
1980s 19,708 deaths 21,510 deaths 1,802 deaths United States
1990s 35,540 deaths 22,367 deaths 13,172 deaths Brazil
2000s 48,778 deaths 17,961 deaths 30,818 deaths Brazil
2010s 56,072 deaths 17,586 deaths 38,486 deaths Brazil
2020s 46,659 deaths 25,304 deaths 21,356 deaths Brazil

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher homicides, Brazil or United States?
Brazil, at 45,596 deaths against 24,849 deaths in United States as of 2021.
What is the difference in homicides between Brazil and United States?
20,747 deaths, with Brazil ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and United States?
43 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2021.
How do Brazil and United States rank globally for homicides?
Brazil ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 113 countries.
Where does this data come from?
WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Homicides. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Homicides
Unit
deaths
Source
WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
113 places, 4,903 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Annual number of homicides.