Homicide rate from firearms in Colombia
Colombia: Homicide rate from firearms was 17.85 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
17.85 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
10th
of 82 countries
All-time high
35.04 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2005
All-time low
16.12 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2019
Years of data
19
2005–2023
Homicide rate from firearms in Colombia, 2005–2023
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 from firearms in Colombia is 17.85 homicides per 100,000 population, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 30.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate from firearms in Colombia peaked at 35.04 homicides per 100,000 population in 2005 and was at its lowest, 16.12 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2019.
Colombia ranks 10th of 82 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Homicide rate from firearms in Colombia, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 35.04 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 2006 | 32.59 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 32.29 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 29.61 homicides per 100,000 population | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 28.93 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 27.98 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 28.21 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 28.27 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 25.82 homicides per 100,000 population | -8.7% |
| 2014 | 21.18 homicides per 100,000 population | -18.0% |
| 2015 | 19.74 homicides per 100,000 population | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 18.6 homicides per 100,000 population | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 18.44 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 16.41 homicides per 100,000 population | -11.0% |
| 2019 | 16.12 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 16.48 homicides per 100,000 population | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 18.23 homicides per 100,000 population | +10.7% |
| 2022 | 17.97 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 17.85 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.7% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 17.85 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.18 homicides per 100,000 population, 8.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 17.85 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.57 homicides per 100,000 population, 2.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.69 homicides per 100,000 population | 28.93 homicides per 100,000 population | 35.04 homicides per 100,000 population | 5 |
| 2010s | 22.08 homicides per 100,000 population | 16.12 homicides per 100,000 population | 28.27 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.63 homicides per 100,000 population | 16.48 homicides per 100,000 population | 18.23 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
- 7 Honduras 23.15 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 8 Belize 22.6 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 9 Trinidad and Tobago 21.07 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 11 Mexico 17.23 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 12 Dominica 15.04 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 13 Costa Rica 14.24 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Colombia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,464 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (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 0.0015 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate from firearms in Colombia?
- Homicide rate from firearms in Colombia was 17.85 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 from firearms recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 35.04 homicides per 100,000 population in 2005.
- What is the lowest homicide rate from firearms recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.12 homicides per 100,000 population in 2019.
- How does Colombia rank for homicide rate from firearms?
- Colombia ranks 10th out of 82 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate from firearms rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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 from firearms. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population where the weapon was a firearm.