Homicide rate in Belize
Belize: Homicide rate was 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
38.47 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
7th
of 194 countries
All-time high
38.47 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2021
All-time low
22.35 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Belize, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
Belize recorded 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people for homicide rate in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Belize peaked at 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 22.35 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2000.
Belize ranks 7th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Belize, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 22.35 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 26.05 deaths per 100,000 people | +16.6% |
| 2002 | 28.96 deaths per 100,000 people | +11.2% |
| 2003 | 27.97 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 29.07 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 29.75 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 31.15 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 32.19 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 33.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 33.76 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 36.49 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.1% |
| 2011 | 36.83 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 37.32 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 33.9 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.2% |
| 2014 | 34.42 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 34.49 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 35.6 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 36.16 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 36.94 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 37.46 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 37.85 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.6% |
Belize compared with similar countries
- Belize's 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.79 deaths per 100,000 people, 8.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Belize's 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.24 deaths per 100,000 people, 2.7× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 29.43 deaths per 100,000 people | 22.35 deaths per 100,000 people | 33.76 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.96 deaths per 100,000 people | 33.9 deaths per 100,000 people | 37.46 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.16 deaths per 100,000 people | 37.85 deaths per 100,000 people | 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Belize
- 4 Jamaica 51.87 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 5 Bahamas 43.95 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 6 Lesotho 39.76 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 8 Trinidad and Tobago 37.33 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 9 Colombia 35.63 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 10 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 34.62 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Belize
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 347 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 108 (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 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 108 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0008 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 in Belize?
- Homicide rate in Belize was 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in Belize?
- The highest recorded value was 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Belize?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.35 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- How does Belize rank for homicide rate?
- Belize ranks 7th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Belize?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belize data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes, per 100,000 people.