Homicide rate in Uruguay
Uruguay: Homicide rate was 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
11.53 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 25.5%
World rank
16th
of 111 countries
All-time high
12.35 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2018
All-time low
1.99 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1978
Years of data
62
1955–2022
Homicide rate in Uruguay, 1955–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2022, homicide rate in Uruguay stood at 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 25.5% on the previous year and up 74.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Uruguay peaked at 12.35 deaths per 100,000 people in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.99 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1978.
That places Uruguay 16th out of 111 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 4.85 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1956 | 5.17 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.5% |
| 1957 | 5.08 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1958 | 5.1 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1959 | 4.79 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.1% |
| 1960 | 5.2 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.5% |
| 1963 | 4.49 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.5% |
| 1964 | 4.47 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 3.87 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.6% |
| 1966 | 4.55 deaths per 100,000 people | +17.6% |
| 1967 | 5.68 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.9% |
| 1968 | 4.54 deaths per 100,000 people | -20.0% |
| 1969 | 3.93 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.5% |
| 1970 | 3.64 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.4% |
| 1971 | 3.66 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 3.96 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.1% |
| 1973 | 3.11 deaths per 100,000 people | -21.5% |
| 1974 | 4.01 deaths per 100,000 people | +29.1% |
| 1975 | 2.88 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.2% |
| 1976 | 3.04 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.4% |
| 1977 | 2.71 deaths per 100,000 people | -11.0% |
| 1978 | 1.99 deaths per 100,000 people | -26.4% |
| 1980 | 2.61 deaths per 100,000 people | +31.3% |
| 1981 | 3.21 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.8% |
| 1982 | 3.15 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 2.29 deaths per 100,000 people | -27.3% |
| 1984 | 2.51 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.5% |
| 1985 | 2.76 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.8% |
| 1986 | 2.9 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 3.11 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1988 | 3.41 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.7% |
| 1989 | 4.51 deaths per 100,000 people | +32.3% |
| 1990 | 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 4.66 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.0% |
| 1994 | 4.53 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 4.68 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 4.43 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1997 | 4.83 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.0% |
| 1998 | 5.83 deaths per 100,000 people | +20.7% |
| 1999 | 5.38 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2000 | 5.57 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 4.9 deaths per 100,000 people | -12.0% |
| 2002 | 5.98 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.1% |
| 2003 | 4.63 deaths per 100,000 people | -22.6% |
| 2004 | 4.58 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 4.43 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 4.57 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 4.65 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 5.13 deaths per 100,000 people | +16.7% |
| 2010 | 5.39 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 6.6 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.5% |
| 2013 | 6.46 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 6.53 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 7.59 deaths per 100,000 people | +16.3% |
| 2016 | 7.39 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 8.64 deaths per 100,000 people | +17.0% |
| 2018 | 12.35 deaths per 100,000 people | +42.9% |
| 2019 | 11.7 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 10.13 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.4% |
| 2021 | 9.18 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.4% |
| 2022 | 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people | +25.5% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.7971 deaths per 100,000 people, 14.5× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people, 96% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.79 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.17 deaths per 100,000 people | 5 |
| 1960s | 4.59 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.87 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.68 deaths per 100,000 people | 8 |
| 1970s | 3.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.99 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.01 deaths per 100,000 people | 9 |
| 1980s | 3.05 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.29 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.51 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.84 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.83 deaths per 100,000 people | 8 |
| 2000s | 4.89 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.4 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.98 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.07 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.39 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.35 deaths per 100,000 people | 9 |
| 2020s | 10.28 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.18 deaths per 100,000 people | 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 13 Guatemala 15.09 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 14 Dominican Republic 14.08 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 15 Costa Rica 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 17 Panama 9.85 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 18 South Africa 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 19 Antigua and Barbuda 9.12 deaths per 100,000 people compare
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 11.53 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 Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 12.35 deaths per 100,000 people in 2018.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.99 deaths per 100,000 people in 1978.
- How does Uruguay rank for homicide rate?
- Uruguay ranks 16th out of 111 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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.