Homicides in Canada
Canada: Homicides was 778 homicides in 2023. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Canada, 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
The most recent figure for homicides in Canada is 778 homicides, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 11.8% on the previous year and up 52.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Canada peaked at 882 homicides in 2022 and was at its lowest, 509 homicides, in 2013.
That places Canada 41st out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Homicides in Canada, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 657 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 754 homicides | +14.8% |
| 1992 | 733 homicides | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 626 homicides | -14.6% |
| 1994 | 596 homicides | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 587 homicides | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 634 homicides | +8.0% |
| 1997 | 586 homicides | -7.6% |
| 1998 | 559 homicides | -4.6% |
| 1999 | 539 homicides | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 546 homicides | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 554 homicides | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 582 homicides | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 549 homicides | -5.7% |
| 2004 | 625 homicides | +13.8% |
| 2005 | 664 homicides | +6.2% |
| 2006 | 608 homicides | -8.4% |
| 2007 | 597 homicides | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 614 homicides | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 610 homicides | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 557 homicides | -8.7% |
| 2011 | 609 homicides | +9.3% |
| 2012 | 549 homicides | -9.9% |
| 2013 | 509 homicides | -7.3% |
| 2014 | 525 homicides | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 611 homicides | +16.4% |
| 2016 | 616 homicides | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 665 homicides | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 662 homicides | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 689 homicides | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 765 homicides | +11.0% |
| 2021 | 801 homicides | +4.7% |
| 2022 | 882 homicides | +10.1% |
| 2023 | 778 homicides | -11.8% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 778 homicides is above the median for high income countries, which is 52.5 homicides, 14.8× the median. (76 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 627.1 homicides | 539 homicides | 754 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 594.9 homicides | 546 homicides | 664 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 599.2 homicides | 509 homicides | 689 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 806.5 homicides | 765 homicides | 882 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More social development data for Canada
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 416,028 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 360 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 360 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.01 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 in Canada?
- Homicides in Canada was 778 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 recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 882 homicides in 2022.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 509 homicides in 2013.
- How does Canada rank for homicides?
- Canada ranks 41st out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of intentional homicides.