Homicides by firearm in United States
United States: Homicides by firearm was 15,186 homicides in 2023. ▲ Rising
Homicides by firearm 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.
Analysis
In 2023, homicides by firearm in United States stood at 15,186 homicides.
The figure is down 11.2% on the previous year and up 79.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides by firearm in United States peaked at 18,395 homicides in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8,312 homicides, in 2014.
United States ranks 2nd of 82 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9,848 homicides | 9,199 homicides | 10,225 homicides | 5 |
| 2010s | 9,469 homicides | 8,312 homicides | 11,020 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,077 homicides | 13,620 homicides | 18,395 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More social development data for United States
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 3,667 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.735 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.729 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.913 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.735 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.51 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.571 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides by firearm in United States?
- Homicides by firearm in United States was 15,186 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 18,395 homicides in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicides by firearm recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,312 homicides in 2014.
- How does United States rank for homicides by firearm?
- United States ranks 2nd out of 82 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides by firearm rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.6%. 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 Homicides by firearm. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides where the weapon was a firearm.