Homicides in Latvia
Latvia: Homicides was 47 homicides in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Homicides in Latvia, 1992–2023
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
Latvia recorded 47 homicides for homicides in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.9% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Latvia peaked at 387 homicides in 1993 and was at its lowest, 47 homicides, in 2023.
That places Latvia 118th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Homicides in Latvia, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 259 homicides | — |
| 1993 | 387 homicides | +49.4% |
| 1994 | 348 homicides | -10.1% |
| 1995 | 288 homicides | -17.2% |
| 1996 | 268 homicides | -6.9% |
| 1997 | 272 homicides | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 250 homicides | -8.1% |
| 1999 | 229 homicides | -8.4% |
| 2000 | 238 homicides | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 219 homicides | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 214 homicides | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 70 homicides | -67.3% |
| 2013 | 50 homicides | -28.6% |
| 2014 | 64 homicides | +28.0% |
| 2015 | 67 homicides | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 69 homicides | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 81 homicides | +17.4% |
| 2018 | 84 homicides | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 65 homicides | -22.6% |
| 2020 | 70 homicides | +7.7% |
| 2021 | 57 homicides | -18.6% |
| 2022 | 67 homicides | +17.5% |
| 2023 | 47 homicides | -29.9% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 47 homicides is below the median for high income countries, which is 52.5 homicides, 90% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 47 homicides is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 74.5 homicides, 63% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 287.62 homicides | 229 homicides | 387 homicides | 8 |
| 2000s | 223.67 homicides | 214 homicides | 238 homicides | 3 |
| 2010s | 68.75 homicides | 50 homicides | 84 homicides | 8 |
| 2020s | 60.25 homicides | 47 homicides | 70 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More social development data for Latvia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 32,454 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 189 (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 189 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0176 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 Latvia?
- Homicides in Latvia was 47 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 Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 387 homicides in 1993.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 47 homicides in 2023.
- How does Latvia rank for homicides?
- Latvia ranks 118th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latvia 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.
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About this data
Number of intentional homicides.