Homicides in Colombia
Colombia: Homicides was 13,035 homicides in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
13,035 homicides
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
6th
of 179 countries
All-time high
28,441 homicides
in 1993
All-time low
11,464 homicides
in 2020
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Homicides in Colombia, 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
Colombia recorded 13,035 homicides for homicides in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Colombia peaked at 28,441 homicides in 1993 and was at its lowest, 11,464 homicides, in 2020.
Colombia ranks 6th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Homicides in Colombia, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24,330 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 28,424 homicides | +16.8% |
| 1992 | 28,184 homicides | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 28,441 homicides | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 27,079 homicides | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 22,321 homicides | -17.6% |
| 1996 | 23,350 homicides | +4.6% |
| 1997 | 23,200 homicides | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 23,089 homicides | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 24,355 homicides | +5.5% |
| 2000 | 26,539 homicides | +9.0% |
| 2001 | 27,840 homicides | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 28,387 homicides | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 23,523 homicides | -17.1% |
| 2004 | 20,210 homicides | -14.1% |
| 2005 | 18,111 homicides | -10.4% |
| 2006 | 17,479 homicides | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 17,198 homicides | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 16,140 homicides | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 15,817 homicides | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 15,459 homicides | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 16,127 homicides | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 16,440 homicides | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 15,422 homicides | -6.2% |
| 2014 | 13,343 homicides | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 12,783 homicides | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 12,402 homicides | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 12,298 homicides | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 11,678 homicides | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 11,678 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11,464 homicides | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 13,094 homicides | +14.2% |
| 2022 | 12,908 homicides | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 13,035 homicides | +1.0% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 13,035 homicides is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 241.5 homicides, 54.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 13,035 homicides is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 489 homicides, 26.7× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25,277 homicides | 22,321 homicides | 28,441 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 21,124 homicides | 15,817 homicides | 28,387 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 13,763 homicides | 11,678 homicides | 16,440 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,625 homicides | 11,464 homicides | 13,094 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More social development data for Colombia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,464 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (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 0.0015 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 79,669 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Colombia?
- Homicides in Colombia was 13,035 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 28,441 homicides in 1993.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,464 homicides in 2020.
- How does Colombia rank for homicides?
- Colombia ranks 6th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Colombia 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.