Homicide rate from firearms in United States
United States: Homicide rate from firearms was 4.42 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▲ Rising
Homicide rate from firearms in United States, 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 United States stood at 4.42 homicides per 100,000 population.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.7% on the previous year and up 67.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate from firearms in United States peaked at 5.41 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.57 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2014.
United States ranks 22nd of 82 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Homicide rate from firearms in United States, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3.44 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 2006 | 3.42 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 3.36 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 3.12 homicides per 100,000 population | -6.9% |
| 2009 | 2.99 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 2.85 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 2.75 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 2.79 homicides per 100,000 population | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 2.64 homicides per 100,000 population | -5.4% |
| 2014 | 2.57 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 2.79 homicides per 100,000 population | +8.5% |
| 2016 | 3.16 homicides per 100,000 population | +13.2% |
| 2017 | 3.32 homicides per 100,000 population | +5.0% |
| 2018 | 3.13 homicides per 100,000 population | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 3.12 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 4.01 homicides per 100,000 population | +28.6% |
| 2021 | 5.41 homicides per 100,000 population | +34.8% |
| 2022 | 5.01 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.4% |
| 2023 | 4.42 homicides per 100,000 population | -11.7% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 4.42 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.21 homicides per 100,000 population, 21.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicide rate from firearms in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +34.8% | 4.01 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.41 homicides per 100,000 population |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.26 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.99 homicides per 100,000 population | 3.44 homicides per 100,000 population | 5 |
| 2010s | 2.91 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.57 homicides per 100,000 population | 3.32 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.71 homicides per 100,000 population | 4.01 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.41 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 19 Barbados 4.96 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 20 El Salvador 4.82 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 21 Bermuda 4.64 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 23 Guatemala 4.41 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 24 Peru 3.84 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 25 Paraguay 3.7 homicides per 100,000 population 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 from firearms in United States?
- Homicide rate from firearms in United States was 4.42 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 5.41 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicide rate from firearms recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.57 homicides per 100,000 population in 2014.
- How does United States rank for homicide rate from firearms?
- United States ranks 22nd out of 82 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate from firearms rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 67.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States 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.