Homicide rate by age of the victim in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Homicide rate by age of the victim was 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
12.02 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 9.0%
World rank
15th
of 111 countries
All-time high
12.02 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2022
All-time low
2.39 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1968
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Homicide rate by age of the victim in Costa Rica, 1961–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicide rate by age of the victim in Costa Rica is 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.
The figure is up 9.0% on the previous year and up 55.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate by age of the victim in Costa Rica peaked at 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 2.39 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1968.
That places Costa Rica 15th out of 111 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Homicide rate by age of the victim in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.85 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1962 | 3.57 deaths per 100,000 people | +25.3% |
| 1963 | 3.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.5% |
| 1964 | 3.4 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.1% |
| 1965 | 2.95 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.3% |
| 1966 | 3.96 deaths per 100,000 people | +34.0% |
| 1967 | 2.52 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.5% |
| 1968 | 2.39 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.1% |
| 1969 | 2.97 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.3% |
| 1970 | 3.76 deaths per 100,000 people | +26.8% |
| 1971 | 4.12 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.4% |
| 1972 | 3.26 deaths per 100,000 people | -20.9% |
| 1973 | 3.31 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 3.28 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 4.78 deaths per 100,000 people | +45.9% |
| 1976 | 5.54 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.9% |
| 1977 | 4.35 deaths per 100,000 people | -21.6% |
| 1978 | 3.72 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.5% |
| 1979 | 3.73 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 5.79 deaths per 100,000 people | +55.1% |
| 1981 | 4.67 deaths per 100,000 people | -19.4% |
| 1982 | 4.3 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.8% |
| 1983 | 3.95 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.2% |
| 1984 | 4.5 deaths per 100,000 people | +13.9% |
| 1985 | 4.88 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.6% |
| 1986 | 4.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -16.3% |
| 1987 | 4.69 deaths per 100,000 people | +14.8% |
| 1988 | 4.01 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.5% |
| 1989 | 4.37 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.8% |
| 1990 | 4.45 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 4.11 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.6% |
| 1992 | 5.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +23.4% |
| 1993 | 5.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1995 | 5.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.4% |
| 1996 | 5.37 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.6% |
| 1997 | 5.51 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 5.63 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 6.07 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.0% |
| 2000 | 6.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 6.05 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 6.87 deaths per 100,000 people | +19.3% |
| 2004 | 6.15 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.4% |
| 2005 | 7.02 deaths per 100,000 people | +14.1% |
| 2006 | 7.5 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.8% |
| 2007 | 6.11 deaths per 100,000 people | -18.6% |
| 2008 | 8.81 deaths per 100,000 people | +44.2% |
| 2009 | 9.09 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 10.6 deaths per 100,000 people | +16.5% |
| 2011 | 9.45 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.8% |
| 2012 | 7.72 deaths per 100,000 people | -18.3% |
| 2013 | 7.76 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 9.24 deaths per 100,000 people | +19.0% |
| 2015 | 10.81 deaths per 100,000 people | +17.0% |
| 2016 | 10.65 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 11.11 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 10.74 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 10.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 11.03 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.3% |
| 2022 | 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.08 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.39 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.96 deaths per 100,000 people | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.98 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.26 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.54 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.53 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.95 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.79 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.18 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.11 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.07 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.94 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.09 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.95 deaths per 100,000 people | 7.72 deaths per 100,000 people | 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.05 deaths per 100,000 people | 10.09 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
- 12 Guyana 17.42 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 13 Guatemala 15.09 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 14 Dominican Republic 14.08 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 16 Uruguay 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 17 Panama 9.85 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 18 South Africa 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Costa Rica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0071 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate by age of the victim in Costa Rica?
- Homicide rate by age of the victim in Costa Rica was 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate by age of the victim recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest homicide rate by age of the victim recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.39 deaths per 100,000 people in 1968.
- How does Costa Rica rank for homicide rate by age of the victim?
- Costa Rica ranks 15th out of 111 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicide rate by age of the victim rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicide rate by age of the victim. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual number of deaths from homicides, per 100,000 people within the same age-group.