Homicide rate from firearms in Panama
Panama: Homicide rate from firearms was 10 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
10 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
up 13.7%
World rank
14th
of 82 countries
All-time high
18.71 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2009
All-time low
6.46 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2005
Years of data
18
2005–2023
Homicide rate from firearms in Panama, 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
In 2023, homicide rate from firearms in Panama stood at 10 homicides per 100,000 population.
That represents a change of up 13.7% on the previous year and down 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate from firearms in Panama peaked at 18.71 homicides per 100,000 population in 2009 and was at its lowest, 6.46 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2005.
Panama ranks 14th of 82 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 18 years of available data.
Homicide rate from firearms in Panama, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.46 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 2006 | 7.5 homicides per 100,000 population | +16.1% |
| 2007 | 8.41 homicides per 100,000 population | +12.2% |
| 2008 | 14.83 homicides per 100,000 population | +76.3% |
| 2009 | 18.71 homicides per 100,000 population | +26.2% |
| 2010 | 16.04 homicides per 100,000 population | -14.3% |
| 2011 | 15.68 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 12.82 homicides per 100,000 population | -18.2% |
| 2014 | 11.28 homicides per 100,000 population | -12.0% |
| 2015 | 8.08 homicides per 100,000 population | -28.4% |
| 2016 | 7.07 homicides per 100,000 population | -12.5% |
| 2017 | 6.49 homicides per 100,000 population | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 7.05 homicides per 100,000 population | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 8.62 homicides per 100,000 population | +22.2% |
| 2020 | 9.36 homicides per 100,000 population | +8.6% |
| 2021 | 10.33 homicides per 100,000 population | +10.4% |
| 2022 | 8.79 homicides per 100,000 population | -14.9% |
| 2023 | 10 homicides per 100,000 population | +13.7% |
Panama compared with similar countries
- Panama's 10 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.21 homicides per 100,000 population, 47.6× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Panama's 10 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 8.57 homicides per 100,000 population, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.18 homicides per 100,000 population | 6.46 homicides per 100,000 population | 18.71 homicides per 100,000 population | 5 |
| 2010s | 10.35 homicides per 100,000 population | 6.49 homicides per 100,000 population | 16.04 homicides per 100,000 population | 9 |
| 2020s | 9.62 homicides per 100,000 population | 8.79 homicides per 100,000 population | 10.33 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Panama
- 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
- 15 Antigua and Barbuda 8.57 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 16 Uruguay 7.08 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 17 Dominican Republic 6.49 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Panama
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,694 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 375 (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 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 375 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0006 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 Panama?
- Homicide rate from firearms in Panama was 10 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 Panama?
- The highest recorded value was 18.71 homicides per 100,000 population in 2009.
- What is the lowest homicide rate from firearms recorded in Panama?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.46 homicides per 100,000 population in 2005.
- How does Panama rank for homicide rate from firearms?
- Panama ranks 14th out of 82 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate from firearms rising or falling in Panama?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Panama 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.