Homicide rate in Uruguay
Uruguay: Homicide rate was 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicide rate in Uruguay, 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 Uruguay is 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 55.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Uruguay peaked at 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.66 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2005.
Uruguay ranks 48th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.48 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 6.59 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 6.98 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 5.94 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.9% |
| 2004 | 5.86 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 5.66 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 6.07 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 6.6 deaths per 100,000 people | +13.4% |
| 2009 | 6.73 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 6.08 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.7% |
| 2011 | 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 7.88 deaths per 100,000 people | +33.6% |
| 2013 | 7.54 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 7.83 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 8.05 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 8.01 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 8.1 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 8.38 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 8.61 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 8.94 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.9% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people, 8.7× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 14.24 deaths per 100,000 people, 65% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicide rate in Uruguay changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +33.6% | 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people | 7.88 deaths per 100,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.27 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.66 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.98 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.64 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.9 deaths per 100,000 people | 8.61 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.07 deaths per 100,000 people | 8.94 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More social development data for Uruguay
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,195 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 126 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 126 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Uruguay?
- Homicide rate in Uruguay was 9.2 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 Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.66 deaths per 100,000 people in 2005.
- How does Uruguay rank for homicide rate?
- Uruguay ranks 48th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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.