Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Colombia
Colombia: Homicide rate by sex of the victim was 46.95 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
46.95 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
14th
of 138 countries
All-time high
159.87 homicides per 100,000 population
in 1991
All-time low
42.25 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Colombia, 1990–2023
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
The most recent figure for homicide rate by sex of the victim in Colombia is 46.95 homicides per 100,000 population, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and down 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate by sex of the victim in Colombia peaked at 159.87 homicides per 100,000 population in 1991 and was at its lowest, 42.25 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2020.
Colombia ranks 14th of 138 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Colombia, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 138.88 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 1991 | 159.87 homicides per 100,000 population | +15.1% |
| 1992 | 154.78 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 153.4 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 143.36 homicides per 100,000 population | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 115.96 homicides per 100,000 population | -19.1% |
| 1996 | 119.1 homicides per 100,000 population | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 116.25 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 113.73 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 118.08 homicides per 100,000 population | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 126.81 homicides per 100,000 population | +7.4% |
| 2001 | 130.02 homicides per 100,000 population | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 130.69 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 106.02 homicides per 100,000 population | -18.9% |
| 2004 | 90.22 homicides per 100,000 population | -14.9% |
| 2005 | 79.59 homicides per 100,000 population | -11.8% |
| 2006 | 76.38 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 73.83 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 68.66 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 66.41 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 64.22 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 65.98 homicides per 100,000 population | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 66.53 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 62.16 homicides per 100,000 population | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 52.85 homicides per 100,000 population | -15.0% |
| 2015 | 50.45 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 48.47 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 47.12 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 44.1 homicides per 100,000 population | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 43.32 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 42.25 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 48.09 homicides per 100,000 population | +13.8% |
| 2022 | 46.72 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 46.95 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.5% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 46.95 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.5 homicides per 100,000 population, 6.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 46.95 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 27.39 homicides per 100,000 population, 1.7× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 133.34 homicides per 100,000 population | 113.73 homicides per 100,000 population | 159.87 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2000s | 94.86 homicides per 100,000 population | 66.41 homicides per 100,000 population | 130.69 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.52 homicides per 100,000 population | 43.32 homicides per 100,000 population | 66.53 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 46 homicides per 100,000 population | 42.25 homicides per 100,000 population | 48.09 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
- 11 Honduras 54.78 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 12 Belize 51.25 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 13 Trinidad and Tobago 47.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 15 Dominica 45.05 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 16 Mexico 44.88 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 17 Guatemala 40.24 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Colombia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,464 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0015 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 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 sex of the victim in Colombia?
- Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Colombia was 46.95 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 by sex of the victim recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 159.87 homicides per 100,000 population in 1991.
- What is the lowest homicide rate by sex of the victim recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.25 homicides per 100,000 population in 2020.
- How does Colombia rank for homicide rate by sex of the victim?
- Colombia ranks 14th out of 138 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate by sex of the victim rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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 by sex of the victim. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 populationof male victims.