Homicides in United States
United States: Homicides was 19,796 homicides in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
19,796 homicides
Change on year
down 11.0%
World rank
5th
of 179 countries
All-time high
24,703 homicides
in 1991
All-time low
14,164 homicides
in 2014
Years of data
31
1990–2023
Homicides in United States, 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
United States recorded 19,796 homicides for homicides in 2023.
The figure is down 11.0% on the previous year and up 38.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in United States peaked at 24,703 homicides in 1991 and was at its lowest, 14,164 homicides, in 2014.
That places United States 5th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Homicides in United States, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23,438 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 24,703 homicides | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 23,760 homicides | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 24,526 homicides | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 23,326 homicides | -4.9% |
| 1995 | 21,606 homicides | -7.4% |
| 1996 | 19,645 homicides | -9.1% |
| 1997 | 18,208 homicides | -7.3% |
| 1998 | 16,974 homicides | -6.8% |
| 1999 | 15,522 homicides | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 15,586 homicides | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 19,033 homicides | +22.1% |
| 2002 | 16,229 homicides | -14.7% |
| 2006 | 17,309 homicides | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 17,128 homicides | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 16,465 homicides | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 15,399 homicides | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 14,722 homicides | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 14,661 homicides | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 14,856 homicides | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 14,319 homicides | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 14,164 homicides | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 15,883 homicides | +12.1% |
| 2016 | 17,413 homicides | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 17,294 homicides | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 16,374 homicides | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 16,669 homicides | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 21,570 homicides | +29.4% |
| 2021 | 23,062 homicides | +6.9% |
| 2022 | 22,243 homicides | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 19,796 homicides | -11.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 19,796 homicides is above the median for high income countries, which is 52.5 homicides, 377.1× the median. (76 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21,171 homicides | 15,522 homicides | 24,703 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 16,736 homicides | 15,399 homicides | 19,033 homicides | 7 |
| 2010s | 15,636 homicides | 14,164 homicides | 17,413 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 21,668 homicides | 19,796 homicides | 23,062 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0013 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 United States?
- Homicides in United States was 19,796 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 24,703 homicides in 1991.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,164 homicides in 2014.
- How does United States rank for homicides?
- United States ranks 5th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of intentional homicides.