Homicide rate (World Health) in Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: Homicide rate (World Health) was 19.67 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
19.67 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 4.9%
World rank
18th
of 194 countries
All-time high
27.94 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2009
All-time low
15.81 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2017
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Dominican Republic, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2021, homicide rate in Dominican Republic stood at 19.67 deaths per 100,000 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and down 28.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Dominican Republic peaked at 27.94 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009 and was at its lowest, 15.81 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2017.
Dominican Republic ranks 18th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate (World Health) in Dominican Republic, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17.11 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 17.52 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 19.65 deaths per 100,000 people | +12.2% |
| 2003 | 23.32 deaths per 100,000 people | +18.7% |
| 2004 | 25.76 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.5% |
| 2005 | 27.14 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 26.99 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 27.02 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 27.84 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 27.94 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 27.93 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 27.31 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 25.38 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.1% |
| 2013 | 23.25 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.4% |
| 2014 | 21.36 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.1% |
| 2015 | 19.69 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 17.71 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.1% |
| 2017 | 15.81 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.7% |
| 2018 | 18.24 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.4% |
| 2019 | 17.71 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 18.76 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 19.67 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.9% |
Dominican Republic compared with similar countries
- Dominican Republic's 19.67 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.79 deaths per 100,000 people, 4.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Dominican Republic's 19.67 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.24 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.03 deaths per 100,000 people | 17.11 deaths per 100,000 people | 27.94 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.44 deaths per 100,000 people | 15.81 deaths per 100,000 people | 27.93 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 18.76 deaths per 100,000 people | 19.67 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Dominican Republic
- 15 Haiti 20.9 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 16 Panama 20.17 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 17 Saint Lucia 20.09 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 19 Central African Republic 18.98 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 20 Eswatini 18.31 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 21 Namibia 17.94 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Dominican Republic
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,240 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (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 1,240 (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 in Dominican Republic?
- Homicide rate in Dominican Republic was 19.67 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 Dominican Republic?
- The highest recorded value was 27.94 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Dominican Republic?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.81 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017.
- How does Dominican Republic rank for homicide rate?
- Dominican Republic ranks 18th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Dominican Republic?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Dominican Republic 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.