Homicide rate from firearms in Jamaica
Jamaica: Homicide rate from firearms was 41.87 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
41.87 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
3rd
of 82 countries
All-time high
47.73 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2017
All-time low
25.59 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2014
Years of data
18
2006–2023
Homicide rate from firearms in Jamaica, 2006–2023
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 from firearms in Jamaica stood at 41.87 homicides per 100,000 population.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and up 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate from firearms in Jamaica peaked at 47.73 homicides per 100,000 population in 2017 and was at its lowest, 25.59 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2014.
Jamaica ranks 3rd of 82 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Homicide rate from firearms in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 37.32 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 2007 | 46.06 homicides per 100,000 population | +23.4% |
| 2008 | 45.97 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 47.17 homicides per 100,000 population | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 39.91 homicides per 100,000 population | -15.4% |
| 2011 | 28.69 homicides per 100,000 population | -28.1% |
| 2012 | 28.06 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 31.76 homicides per 100,000 population | +13.2% |
| 2014 | 25.59 homicides per 100,000 population | -19.4% |
| 2015 | 34.75 homicides per 100,000 population | +35.8% |
| 2016 | 39.15 homicides per 100,000 population | +12.6% |
| 2017 | 47.73 homicides per 100,000 population | +21.9% |
| 2018 | 35.99 homicides per 100,000 population | -24.6% |
| 2019 | 39.63 homicides per 100,000 population | +10.1% |
| 2020 | 39.49 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 44.05 homicides per 100,000 population | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 44.52 homicides per 100,000 population | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 41.87 homicides per 100,000 population | -6.0% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 41.87 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.18 homicides per 100,000 population, 19.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 41.87 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.57 homicides per 100,000 population, 4.9× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 44.13 homicides per 100,000 population | 37.32 homicides per 100,000 population | 47.17 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
| 2010s | 35.13 homicides per 100,000 population | 25.59 homicides per 100,000 population | 47.73 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.48 homicides per 100,000 population | 39.49 homicides per 100,000 population | 44.52 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
- 1 Saint Kitts and Nevis 57.74 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 42.44 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 4 Ecuador 39.53 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 5 Saint Lucia 31.24 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 6 Bahamas 29.43 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Jamaica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31 (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (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 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate from firearms in Jamaica?
- Homicide rate from firearms in Jamaica was 41.87 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 Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 47.73 homicides per 100,000 population in 2017.
- What is the lowest homicide rate from firearms recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.59 homicides per 100,000 population in 2014.
- How does Jamaica rank for homicide rate from firearms?
- Jamaica ranks 3rd out of 82 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate from firearms rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Jamaica 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.