Homicide rate in Panama
Panama: Homicide rate was 20.17 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
20.17 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 7.7%
World rank
16th
of 194 countries
All-time high
27.73 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2009
All-time low
12.06 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Panama, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
Panama recorded 20.17 deaths per 100,000 people for homicide rate in 2021.
The figure is up 7.7% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Panama peaked at 27.73 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009 and was at its lowest, 12.06 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2000.
Panama ranks 16th 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 Panama, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 12.06 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 12.56 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 14.53 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.7% |
| 2003 | 13.32 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.3% |
| 2004 | 12.28 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 13.98 deaths per 100,000 people | +13.8% |
| 2006 | 13.91 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 17.29 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.3% |
| 2008 | 23.38 deaths per 100,000 people | +35.2% |
| 2009 | 27.73 deaths per 100,000 people | +18.6% |
| 2010 | 25.25 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.9% |
| 2011 | 24.48 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 22.51 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.0% |
| 2013 | 20.82 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 19.58 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 17.3 deaths per 100,000 people | -11.6% |
| 2016 | 15.25 deaths per 100,000 people | -11.8% |
| 2017 | 14.84 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 17.44 deaths per 100,000 people | +17.5% |
| 2019 | 17.24 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 18.73 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.6% |
| 2021 | 20.17 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.7% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 20.17 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people, 19.0× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Panama's 20.17 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 | 16.1 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.06 deaths per 100,000 people | 27.73 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.47 deaths per 100,000 people | 14.84 deaths per 100,000 people | 25.25 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.45 deaths per 100,000 people | 18.73 deaths per 100,000 people | 20.17 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 13 Mexico 28.47 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 14 Guatemala 26.2 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 15 Haiti 20.9 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 17 Saint Lucia 20.09 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 18 Dominican Republic 19.67 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 19 Central African Republic 18.98 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Panama
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,694 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 375 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 375 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0006 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 Panama?
- Homicide rate in Panama was 20.17 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 27.73 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.06 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- How does Panama rank for homicide rate?
- Panama ranks 16th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Panama 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes, per 100,000 people.