Homicide rate in Uruguay
Uruguay: Homicide rate was 11.25 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▲ Rising
Homicide rate in Uruguay, 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
In 2023, homicide rate in Uruguay stood at 11.25 homicides per 100,000 population.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 44.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Uruguay peaked at 12.4 homicides per 100,000 population in 2018 and was at its lowest, 5.78 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2005.
That places Uruguay 33rd out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.59 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.8 homicides per 100,000 population | 7.54 homicides per 100,000 population | 8 |
| 2000s | 6.37 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.78 homicides per 100,000 population | 7.05 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.49 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.98 homicides per 100,000 population | 12.4 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.4 homicides per 100,000 population | 9.01 homicides per 100,000 population | 11.29 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 30 Panama 11.71 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 31 Botswana 11.37 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 32 Nicaragua 11.35 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 34 Namibia 11.21 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 35 Dominican Republic 10.92 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 36 Antigua and Barbuda 10.72 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Uruguay
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 3,195 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 126 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.902 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.932 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.79 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.716 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.932 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Uruguay?
- Homicide rate in Uruguay was 11.25 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 Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4 homicides per 100,000 population in 2018.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.78 homicides per 100,000 population in 2005.
- How does Uruguay rank for homicide rate?
- Uruguay ranks 33rd out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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.