Homicides in Brazil
Brazil: Homicides was 45,596 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
45,596 deaths
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
1st
of 113 countries
All-time high
63,788 deaths
in 2017
All-time low
11,180 deaths
in 1979
Years of data
43
1979–2021
Homicides in Brazil, 1979–2021
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Brazil stood at 45,596 deaths.
The figure is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Brazil peaked at 63,788 deaths in 2017 and was at its lowest, 11,180 deaths, in 1979.
Brazil ranks 1st of 113 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Homicides in Brazil, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 11,180 deaths | — |
| 1980 | 13,887 deaths | +24.2% |
| 1981 | 15,190 deaths | +9.4% |
| 1982 | 15,532 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 17,397 deaths | +12.0% |
| 1984 | 19,739 deaths | +13.5% |
| 1985 | 19,731 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 20,457 deaths | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 23,077 deaths | +12.8% |
| 1988 | 23,341 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 28,726 deaths | +23.1% |
| 1990 | 31,952 deaths | +11.2% |
| 1991 | 30,695 deaths | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 28,316 deaths | -7.8% |
| 1993 | 30,547 deaths | +7.9% |
| 1994 | 32,552 deaths | +6.6% |
| 1995 | 37,076 deaths | +13.9% |
| 1996 | 38,900 deaths | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 40,514 deaths | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 41,920 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 42,923 deaths | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 45,358 deaths | +5.7% |
| 2001 | 47,953 deaths | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 49,709 deaths | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 51,064 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 48,394 deaths | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 47,593 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 49,165 deaths | +3.3% |
| 2007 | 47,731 deaths | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 49,357 deaths | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 51,461 deaths | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 52,289 deaths | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 52,233 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 56,388 deaths | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 56,845 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 59,733 deaths | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 58,184 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 61,208 deaths | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 63,788 deaths | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 55,980 deaths | -12.2% |
| 2019 | 44,073 deaths | -21.3% |
| 2020 | 47,722 deaths | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 45,596 deaths | -4.5% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 45,596 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 135 deaths, 337.7× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 45,596 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 438 deaths, 104.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 11,180 deaths | 11,180 deaths | 11,180 deaths | 1 |
| 1980s | 19,708 deaths | 13,887 deaths | 28,726 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 35,540 deaths | 28,316 deaths | 42,923 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 48,778 deaths | 45,358 deaths | 51,461 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 56,072 deaths | 44,073 deaths | 63,788 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 46,659 deaths | 45,596 deaths | 47,722 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More social development data for Brazil
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 278,966 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6,306 (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 6,306 (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 Brazil?
- Homicides in Brazil was 45,596 deaths in 2021, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 63,788 deaths in 2017.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,180 deaths in 1979.
- How does Brazil rank for homicides?
- Brazil ranks 1st out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (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
Annual number of homicides.