Homicide rate in Canada
Canada: Homicide rate was 1.98 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▼ Falling
Homicide rate in Canada, 1990–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides per 100,000 population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicide rate in Canada is 1.98 homicides per 100,000 population, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.9% on the previous year and up 37.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Canada peaked at 2.68 homicides per 100,000 population in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.44 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2013.
Canada ranks 104th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.15 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.76 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.68 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.84 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.72 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.05 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.67 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.44 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.82 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.08 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.98 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.27 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 101 Fiji 2.06 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 102 Georgia 2.03 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 103 Azerbaijan 1.99 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 105 Aruba 1.93 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 106 Ghana 1.83 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 107 Cambodia 1.82 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Canada
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 416,028 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 360 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.865 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.897 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.736 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.589 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.897 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Canada?
- Homicide rate in Canada was 1.98 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 2.68 homicides per 100,000 population in 1991.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.44 homicides per 100,000 population in 2013.
- How does Canada rank for homicide rate?
- Canada ranks 104th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor 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
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population.