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Homicide rate in Brazil

Brazil: Homicide rate was 21.76 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
21.76 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
10th
of 111 countries
All-time high
30.69 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2017
All-time low
9.43 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1979
Years of data
43
1979–2021

Homicide rate in Brazil, 1979–2021

10152025301979200020211979: 9.4 deaths per 100,000 people1980: 11.4 deaths per 100,000 people1981: 12.2 deaths per 100,000 people1982: 12.2 deaths per 100,000 people1983: 13.4 deaths per 100,000 people1984: 14.9 deaths per 100,000 people1985: 14.6 deaths per 100,000 people1986: 15.1 deaths per 100,000 people1987: 16.4 deaths per 100,000 people1988: 16.3 deaths per 100,000 people1989: 19.6 deaths per 100,000 people1990: 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people1991: 20.2 deaths per 100,000 people1992: 18.4 deaths per 100,000 people1993: 19.5 deaths per 100,000 people1994: 20.4 deaths per 100,000 people1995: 22.9 deaths per 100,000 people1996: 23.6 deaths per 100,000 people1997: 24.2 deaths per 100,000 people1998: 24.7 deaths per 100,000 people1999: 24.9 deaths per 100,000 people2000: 25.9 deaths per 100,000 people2001: 27.1 deaths per 100,000 people2002: 27.7 deaths per 100,000 people2003: 28.1 deaths per 100,000 people2004: 26.3 deaths per 100,000 people2005: 25.6 deaths per 100,000 people2006: 26.1 deaths per 100,000 people2007: 25.1 deaths per 100,000 people2008: 25.7 deaths per 100,000 people2009: 26.5 deaths per 100,000 people2010: 26.7 deaths per 100,000 people2011: 26.4 deaths per 100,000 people2012: 28.3 deaths per 100,000 people2013: 28.3 deaths per 100,000 people2014: 29.5 deaths per 100,000 people2015: 28.5 deaths per 100,000 people2016: 29.7 deaths per 100,000 people2017: 30.7 deaths per 100,000 people2018: 26.7 deaths per 100,000 people2019: 21 deaths per 100,000 people2020: 22.5 deaths per 100,000 people2021: 21.8 deaths per 100,000 people

Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for homicide rate in Brazil is 21.76 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021.

The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, homicide rate in Brazil peaked at 30.69 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017 and was at its lowest, 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1979.

That places Brazil 10th out of 111 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Homicide rate in Brazil, year by year

Year deaths per 100,000 people Change
1979 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people —
1980 11.45 deaths per 100,000 people +21.4%
1981 12.24 deaths per 100,000 people +6.9%
1982 12.24 deaths per 100,000 people -0.0%
1983 13.41 deaths per 100,000 people +9.5%
1984 14.88 deaths per 100,000 people +11.0%
1985 14.55 deaths per 100,000 people -2.2%
1986 15.09 deaths per 100,000 people +3.6%
1987 16.38 deaths per 100,000 people +8.6%
1988 16.25 deaths per 100,000 people -0.8%
1989 19.63 deaths per 100,000 people +20.8%
1990 21.44 deaths per 100,000 people +9.2%
1991 20.24 deaths per 100,000 people -5.6%
1992 18.36 deaths per 100,000 people -9.3%
1993 19.48 deaths per 100,000 people +6.1%
1994 20.42 deaths per 100,000 people +4.8%
1995 22.88 deaths per 100,000 people +12.1%
1996 23.63 deaths per 100,000 people +3.3%
1997 24.23 deaths per 100,000 people +2.5%
1998 24.69 deaths per 100,000 people +1.9%
1999 24.91 deaths per 100,000 people +0.9%
2000 25.95 deaths per 100,000 people +4.2%
2001 27.06 deaths per 100,000 people +4.3%
2002 27.69 deaths per 100,000 people +2.3%
2003 28.09 deaths per 100,000 people +1.4%
2004 26.3 deaths per 100,000 people -6.4%
2005 25.57 deaths per 100,000 people -2.8%
2006 26.13 deaths per 100,000 people +2.2%
2007 25.1 deaths per 100,000 people -3.9%
2008 25.7 deaths per 100,000 people +2.4%
2009 26.54 deaths per 100,000 people +3.3%
2010 26.72 deaths per 100,000 people +0.7%
2011 26.45 deaths per 100,000 people -1.0%
2012 28.29 deaths per 100,000 people +7.0%
2013 28.28 deaths per 100,000 people -0.1%
2014 29.46 deaths per 100,000 people +4.2%
2015 28.46 deaths per 100,000 people -3.4%
2016 29.69 deaths per 100,000 people +4.3%
2017 30.69 deaths per 100,000 people +3.4%
2018 26.72 deaths per 100,000 people -12.9%
2019 20.97 deaths per 100,000 people -21.5%
2020 22.45 deaths per 100,000 people +7.1%
2021 21.76 deaths per 100,000 people -3.1%

Brazil compared with similar countries

  • Brazil's 21.76 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.11 deaths per 100,000 people, 7.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • Brazil's 21.76 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people 1
1980s 14.61 deaths per 100,000 people 11.45 deaths per 100,000 people 19.63 deaths per 100,000 people 10
1990s 22.03 deaths per 100,000 people 18.36 deaths per 100,000 people 24.91 deaths per 100,000 people 10
2000s 26.41 deaths per 100,000 people 25.1 deaths per 100,000 people 28.09 deaths per 100,000 people 10
2010s 27.57 deaths per 100,000 people 20.97 deaths per 100,000 people 30.69 deaths per 100,000 people 10
2020s 22.11 deaths per 100,000 people 21.76 deaths per 100,000 people 22.45 deaths per 100,000 people 2

Countries ranked near Brazil

  1. 7 Ecuador 24.57 deaths per 100,000 people compare
  2. 8 Mexico 24.24 deaths per 100,000 people compare
  3. 9 Saint Lucia 23.42 deaths per 100,000 people compare
  4. 11 Puerto Rico 20.67 deaths per 100,000 people compare
  5. 12 Guyana 17.42 deaths per 100,000 people compare
  6. 13 Guatemala 15.09 deaths per 100,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 111 places →

More social development data for Brazil

All data for Brazil →

Frequently asked questions

What is homicide rate in Brazil?
Homicide rate in Brazil was 21.76 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest homicide rate recorded in Brazil?
The highest recorded value was 30.69 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017.
What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Brazil?
The lowest recorded value was 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people in 1979.
How does Brazil rank for homicide rate?
Brazil ranks 10th out of 111 countries with data for 2021.
Is homicide rate rising or falling in Brazil?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Brazil data come from?
The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (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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Homicide rate in Brazil. Statizoid, drawing on WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/homicide-rate-who-age-standardized/brazil/

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About this data

Indicator
Homicide rate
Unit
deaths per 100,000 people
Source
WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
111 places, 4,803 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Annual number of homicides per 100,000 people.