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Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica

Costa Rica: Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 was 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
17.75 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
up 37.5%
World rank
23rd
of 178 countries
All-time high
17.75 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2023
All-time low
4.12 homicides per 100,000 population
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica, 1990–2023

51015201990200620231990: 4.5 homicides per 100,000 population1991: 4.1 homicides per 100,000 population1992: 4.9 homicides per 100,000 population1993: 4.8 homicides per 100,000 population1994: 5.3 homicides per 100,000 population1995: 5.2 homicides per 100,000 population1996: 5.2 homicides per 100,000 population1997: 5.7 homicides per 100,000 population1998: 5.9 homicides per 100,000 population1999: 6.3 homicides per 100,000 population2000: 6.3 homicides per 100,000 population2001: 6.4 homicides per 100,000 population2002: 6.3 homicides per 100,000 population2003: 7.2 homicides per 100,000 population2004: 6.7 homicides per 100,000 population2005: 7.9 homicides per 100,000 population2006: 8.1 homicides per 100,000 population2007: 8.4 homicides per 100,000 population2008: 11.5 homicides per 100,000 population2009: 11.7 homicides per 100,000 population2010: 11.6 homicides per 100,000 population2011: 10.3 homicides per 100,000 population2012: 8.7 homicides per 100,000 population2013: 8.7 homicides per 100,000 population2014: 10 homicides per 100,000 population2015: 11.6 homicides per 100,000 population2016: 11.9 homicides per 100,000 population2017: 12.3 homicides per 100,000 population2018: 11.8 homicides per 100,000 population2019: 11.3 homicides per 100,000 population2020: 11.3 homicides per 100,000 population2021: 11.6 homicides per 100,000 population2022: 12.9 homicides per 100,000 population2023: 17.7 homicides per 100,000 population

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides per 100,000 population.

Analysis

In 2023, homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica stood at 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

That represents a change of up 37.5% on the previous year and up 103.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica peaked at 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.12 homicides per 100,000 population, in 1991.

That places Costa Rica 23rd out of 178 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica, year by year

Year homicides per 100,000 population Change
1990 4.45 homicides per 100,000 population —
1991 4.12 homicides per 100,000 population -7.4%
1992 4.87 homicides per 100,000 population +18.2%
1993 4.75 homicides per 100,000 population -2.5%
1994 5.27 homicides per 100,000 population +11.0%
1995 5.2 homicides per 100,000 population -1.3%
1996 5.22 homicides per 100,000 population +0.3%
1997 5.67 homicides per 100,000 population +8.6%
1998 5.92 homicides per 100,000 population +4.4%
1999 6.34 homicides per 100,000 population +7.1%
2000 6.32 homicides per 100,000 population -0.3%
2001 6.41 homicides per 100,000 population +1.4%
2002 6.33 homicides per 100,000 population -1.3%
2003 7.25 homicides per 100,000 population +14.5%
2004 6.67 homicides per 100,000 population -8.0%
2005 7.86 homicides per 100,000 population +17.9%
2006 8.12 homicides per 100,000 population +3.3%
2007 8.42 homicides per 100,000 population +3.7%
2008 11.53 homicides per 100,000 population +36.9%
2009 11.67 homicides per 100,000 population +1.2%
2010 11.57 homicides per 100,000 population -0.9%
2011 10.28 homicides per 100,000 population -11.1%
2012 8.73 homicides per 100,000 population -15.1%
2013 8.71 homicides per 100,000 population -0.1%
2014 10.01 homicides per 100,000 population +14.8%
2015 11.56 homicides per 100,000 population +15.5%
2016 11.88 homicides per 100,000 population +2.7%
2017 12.27 homicides per 100,000 population +3.3%
2018 11.8 homicides per 100,000 population -3.9%
2019 11.26 homicides per 100,000 population -4.6%
2020 11.32 homicides per 100,000 population +0.5%
2021 11.62 homicides per 100,000 population +2.6%
2022 12.91 homicides per 100,000 population +11.1%
2023 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population +37.5%

Costa Rica compared with similar countries

  • Costa Rica's 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population, 15.9× the median. (76 countries reporting)
  • Costa Rica's 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 16.92 homicides per 100,000 population, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 5.18 homicides per 100,000 population 4.12 homicides per 100,000 population 6.34 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2000s 8.06 homicides per 100,000 population 6.32 homicides per 100,000 population 11.67 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2010s 10.81 homicides per 100,000 population 8.71 homicides per 100,000 population 12.27 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2020s 13.4 homicides per 100,000 population 11.32 homicides per 100,000 population 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population 4

Countries ranked near Costa Rica

  1. 20 Guatemala 23.37 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  2. 21 Brazil 19.28 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  3. 22 Guyana 19.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  4. 24 Curacao 16.92 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  5. 25 Puerto Rico 15.08 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  6. 26 Grenada 13.67 homicides per 100,000 population compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More social development data for Costa Rica

All data for Costa Rica →

Frequently asked questions

What is homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica?
Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica was 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 recorded in Costa Rica?
The highest recorded value was 17.75 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023.
What is the lowest homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 recorded in Costa Rica?
The lowest recorded value was 4.12 homicides per 100,000 population in 1991.
How does Costa Rica rank for homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020?
Costa Rica ranks 23rd out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 rising or falling in Costa Rica?
Over the last ten years it is up 103.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Costa Rica. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/homicide-rate-1990-vs-2020/costa-rica/

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About this data

Indicator
Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020
Unit
homicides per 100,000 population
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 4,128 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population.