Homicide rate (World Health) in Jamaica
Jamaica: Homicide rate (World Health) was 51.87 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
51.87 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
4th
of 194 countries
All-time high
64.34 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2008
All-time low
25.56 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2003
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Jamaica, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicide rate in Jamaica is 51.87 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of down 2.0% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Jamaica peaked at 64.34 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008 and was at its lowest, 25.56 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2003.
Jamaica ranks 4th 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 (World Health) in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 42.82 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 46.21 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.9% |
| 2002 | 27.21 deaths per 100,000 people | -41.1% |
| 2003 | 25.56 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 40.81 deaths per 100,000 people | +59.7% |
| 2005 | 61.93 deaths per 100,000 people | +51.8% |
| 2006 | 45.27 deaths per 100,000 people | -26.9% |
| 2007 | 63.31 deaths per 100,000 people | +39.8% |
| 2008 | 64.34 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 63.17 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 57.62 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 52.5 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.9% |
| 2012 | 48.58 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 48.37 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 47.94 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 50.43 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 54.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 58.66 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.5% |
| 2018 | 53.59 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.6% |
| 2019 | 53.59 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 52.91 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 51.87 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 51.87 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.79 deaths per 100,000 people, 10.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 51.87 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.24 deaths per 100,000 people, 3.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 48.06 deaths per 100,000 people | 25.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 64.34 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.54 deaths per 100,000 people | 47.94 deaths per 100,000 people | 58.66 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.39 deaths per 100,000 people | 51.87 deaths per 100,000 people | 52.91 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 1 El Salvador 94.3 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 2 Honduras 77.07 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 3 Venezuela 62.84 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
- 7 Belize 38.47 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Jamaica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31 (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (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 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Jamaica?
- Homicide rate in Jamaica was 51.87 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 Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 64.34 deaths per 100,000 people in 2008.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.56 deaths per 100,000 people in 2003.
- How does Jamaica rank for homicide rate?
- Jamaica ranks 4th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica 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.