Homicide rate in United States
United States: Homicide rate was 7.42 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
7.42 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
22nd
of 111 countries
All-time high
10.55 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1980
All-time low
4.48 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1957
Years of data
73
1950–2022
Homicide rate in United States, 1950–2022
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 United States is 7.42 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 39.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in United States peaked at 10.55 deaths per 100,000 people in 1980 and was at its lowest, 4.48 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1957.
United States ranks 22nd of 111 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 73 years of available data.
Homicide rate in United States, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.27 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 4.89 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.2% |
| 1952 | 5.17 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.8% |
| 1953 | 4.83 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.7% |
| 1954 | 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1955 | 4.51 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.9% |
| 1956 | 4.56 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1957 | 4.48 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1958 | 4.51 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 4.62 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 4.72 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.1% |
| 1961 | 4.69 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1962 | 4.85 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.5% |
| 1963 | 4.89 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1964 | 5.13 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.9% |
| 1965 | 5.53 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.8% |
| 1966 | 5.93 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.2% |
| 1967 | 6.79 deaths per 100,000 people | +14.5% |
| 1968 | 7.35 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1969 | 7.66 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 8.25 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.6% |
| 1971 | 9.11 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.5% |
| 1972 | 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 9.75 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 10.15 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 9.89 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 8.99 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.1% |
| 1977 | 9.09 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 9.2 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 9.89 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.5% |
| 1980 | 10.55 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.7% |
| 1981 | 10.19 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1982 | 9.53 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.4% |
| 1983 | 8.51 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.7% |
| 1984 | 8.25 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 8.22 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 8.9 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.3% |
| 1987 | 8.55 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 8.86 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 9.1 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 9.9 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.8% |
| 1991 | 10.41 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 9.86 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1993 | 9.95 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 9.43 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 8.58 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.0% |
| 1996 | 7.78 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.4% |
| 1997 | 7.28 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.4% |
| 1998 | 6.62 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.1% |
| 1999 | 6.19 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.4% |
| 2000 | 5.96 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2001 | 7.13 deaths per 100,000 people | +19.7% |
| 2002 | 6.12 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.2% |
| 2003 | 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 5.91 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 6.11 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 6.2 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 6.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 5.87 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 5.52 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.0% |
| 2010 | 5.3 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 5.21 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 5.31 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 5.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 4.96 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 5.54 deaths per 100,000 people | +11.7% |
| 2016 | 5.99 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 6 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 5.76 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 7.42 deaths per 100,000 people | +27.6% |
| 2021 | 7.82 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 7.42 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.1% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 7.42 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.7971 deaths per 100,000 people, 9.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.77 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.48 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.27 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.69 deaths per 100,000 people | 7.66 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.37 deaths per 100,000 people | 8.25 deaths per 100,000 people | 10.15 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.07 deaths per 100,000 people | 8.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 10.55 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.6 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.19 deaths per 100,000 people | 10.41 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.52 deaths per 100,000 people | 7.13 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.96 deaths per 100,000 people | 6 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 7.42 deaths per 100,000 people | 7.82 deaths per 100,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 19 Antigua and Barbuda 9.12 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 20 Philippines 8.23 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 21 Grenada 7.9 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 23 Paraguay 7.37 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 24 Suriname 6.33 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 25 Mongolia 5.74 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0013 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 United States?
- Homicide rate in United States was 7.42 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 10.55 deaths per 100,000 people in 1980.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.48 deaths per 100,000 people in 1957.
- How does United States rank for homicide rate?
- United States ranks 22nd out of 111 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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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About this data
Annual number of homicides per 100,000 people.