Homicides by firearm in Jamaica
Jamaica: Homicides by firearm was 1,189 homicides in 2023. ▲ Rising
Homicides by firearm 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.
Analysis
In 2023, homicides by firearm in Jamaica stood at 1,189 homicides.
That represents a change of down 5.9% on the previous year and up 34.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides by firearm in Jamaica peaked at 1,344 homicides in 2017 and was at its lowest, 715 homicides, in 2014.
That places Jamaica 10th out of 82 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Homicides by firearm in Jamaica, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1,008 homicides | — |
| 2007 | 1,250 homicides | +24.0% |
| 2008 | 1,253 homicides | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1,291 homicides | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 1,097 homicides | -15.0% |
| 2011 | 792 homicides | -27.8% |
| 2012 | 778 homicides | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 884 homicides | +13.6% |
| 2014 | 715 homicides | -19.1% |
| 2015 | 974 homicides | +36.2% |
| 2016 | 1,100 homicides | +12.9% |
| 2017 | 1,344 homicides | +22.2% |
| 2018 | 1,015 homicides | -24.5% |
| 2019 | 1,119 homicides | +10.2% |
| 2020 | 1,118 homicides | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 1,250 homicides | +11.8% |
| 2022 | 1,264 homicides | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 1,189 homicides | -5.9% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 1,189 homicides is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30 homicides, 39.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 1,189 homicides is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 253 homicides, 4.7× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,200 homicides | 1,008 homicides | 1,291 homicides | 4 |
| 2010s | 981.8 homicides | 715 homicides | 1,344 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,205 homicides | 1,118 homicides | 1,264 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
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 homicides by firearm in Jamaica?
- Homicides by firearm in Jamaica was 1,189 homicides 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 homicides by firearm recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 1,344 homicides in 2017.
- What is the lowest homicides by firearm recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 715 homicides in 2014.
- How does Jamaica rank for homicides by firearm?
- Jamaica ranks 10th out of 82 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides by firearm rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.5%. 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 Homicides by firearm. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of intentional homicides where the weapon was a firearm.