Homicides, by sex of the victim in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Homicides, by sex of the victim was 71 homicides in 2023. ▲ Rising
Homicides, by sex of the victim in Costa Rica, 1990–2023
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
Costa Rica recorded 71 homicides for homicides, by sex of the victim in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 51.1% on the previous year and up 97.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides, by sex of the victim in Costa Rica peaked at 71 homicides in 2023 and was at its lowest, 18.42 homicides, in 1996.
That places Costa Rica 47th out of 138 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Homicides, by sex of the victim in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 27.8 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 24.75 homicides | -11.0% |
| 1992 | 24.69 homicides | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 19.28 homicides | -21.9% |
| 1994 | 24.73 homicides | +28.3% |
| 1995 | 26.73 homicides | +8.1% |
| 1996 | 18.42 homicides | -31.1% |
| 1997 | 19.46 homicides | +5.7% |
| 1998 | 27.21 homicides | +39.8% |
| 1999 | 32.18 homicides | +18.3% |
| 2000 | 40.29 homicides | +25.2% |
| 2001 | 28.44 homicides | -29.4% |
| 2002 | 33.89 homicides | +19.2% |
| 2003 | 37.76 homicides | +11.4% |
| 2004 | 38.77 homicides | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 61.21 homicides | +57.9% |
| 2006 | 45 homicides | -26.5% |
| 2007 | 37 homicides | -17.8% |
| 2008 | 60 homicides | +62.2% |
| 2009 | 59 homicides | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 61 homicides | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 64 homicides | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 50 homicides | -21.9% |
| 2013 | 36 homicides | -28.0% |
| 2014 | 51 homicides | +41.7% |
| 2015 | 42 homicides | -17.6% |
| 2016 | 66 homicides | +57.1% |
| 2017 | 58 homicides | -12.1% |
| 2018 | 65 homicides | +12.1% |
| 2019 | 48 homicides | -26.2% |
| 2020 | 62 homicides | +29.2% |
| 2021 | 56 homicides | -9.7% |
| 2022 | 47 homicides | -16.1% |
| 2023 | 71 homicides | +51.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.52 homicides | 18.42 homicides | 32.18 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.14 homicides | 28.44 homicides | 61.21 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.1 homicides | 36 homicides | 66 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 59 homicides | 47 homicides | 71 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More social development data for Costa Rica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 367 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0071 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 homicides, by sex of the victim in Costa Rica?
- Homicides, by sex of the victim in Costa Rica was 71 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 sex of the victim recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 71 homicides in 2023.
- What is the lowest homicides, by sex of the victim recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.42 homicides in 1996.
- How does Costa Rica rank for homicides, by sex of the victim?
- Costa Rica ranks 47th out of 138 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides, by sex of the victim rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 97.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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 sex of the victim. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of intentional homicidesof female victims .