Homicides in Canada
Canada: Homicides was 306 deaths in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
306 deaths
Change on year
down 29.0%
World rank
32nd
of 113 countries
All-time high
622 deaths
in 1991
All-time low
129 deaths
in 1950
Years of data
73
1950–2022
Homicides in Canada, 1950–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Canada is 306 deaths, measured in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.0% on the previous year and down 37.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Canada peaked at 622 deaths in 1991 and was at its lowest, 129 deaths, in 1950.
That places Canada 32nd out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 73 years of available data.
Homicides in Canada, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 129 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 146 deaths | +13.2% |
| 1952 | 148 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1953 | 166 deaths | +12.2% |
| 1954 | 168 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1955 | 168 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 181 deaths | +7.7% |
| 1957 | 172 deaths | -5.0% |
| 1958 | 201 deaths | +16.9% |
| 1959 | 175 deaths | -12.9% |
| 1960 | 248 deaths | +41.7% |
| 1961 | 217 deaths | -12.5% |
| 1962 | 259 deaths | +19.4% |
| 1963 | 244 deaths | -5.8% |
| 1964 | 241 deaths | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 259 deaths | +7.5% |
| 1966 | 251 deaths | -3.1% |
| 1967 | 316 deaths | +25.9% |
| 1968 | 338 deaths | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 381 deaths | +12.7% |
| 1970 | 433 deaths | +13.6% |
| 1971 | 473 deaths | +9.2% |
| 1972 | 513 deaths | +8.5% |
| 1973 | 540 deaths | +5.3% |
| 1974 | 551 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 613 deaths | +11.3% |
| 1976 | 563 deaths | -8.2% |
| 1977 | 607 deaths | +7.8% |
| 1978 | 586 deaths | -3.5% |
| 1979 | 583 deaths | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 495 deaths | -15.1% |
| 1981 | 560 deaths | +13.1% |
| 1982 | 592 deaths | +5.7% |
| 1983 | 592 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 580 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 537 deaths | -7.4% |
| 1986 | 513 deaths | -4.5% |
| 1987 | 565 deaths | +10.1% |
| 1988 | 487 deaths | -13.8% |
| 1989 | 552 deaths | +13.3% |
| 1990 | 554 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 622 deaths | +12.3% |
| 1992 | 597 deaths | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 526 deaths | -11.9% |
| 1994 | 498 deaths | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 489 deaths | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 511 deaths | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 431 deaths | -15.7% |
| 1998 | 467 deaths | +8.4% |
| 1999 | 462 deaths | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 467 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 463 deaths | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 462 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 447 deaths | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 515 deaths | +15.2% |
| 2005 | 576 deaths | +11.8% |
| 2006 | 487 deaths | -15.5% |
| 2007 | 515 deaths | +5.7% |
| 2008 | 575 deaths | +11.7% |
| 2009 | 574 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 524 deaths | -8.7% |
| 2011 | 527 deaths | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 493 deaths | -6.5% |
| 2013 | 446 deaths | -9.5% |
| 2014 | 439 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 456 deaths | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 396 deaths | -13.2% |
| 2017 | 459 deaths | +15.9% |
| 2018 | 517 deaths | +12.6% |
| 2019 | 531 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 559 deaths | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 431 deaths | -22.9% |
| 2022 | 306 deaths | -29.0% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 306 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 4.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 165.4 deaths | 129 deaths | 201 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 275.4 deaths | 217 deaths | 381 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 546.2 deaths | 433 deaths | 613 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 547.3 deaths | 487 deaths | 592 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 515.7 deaths | 431 deaths | 622 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 508.1 deaths | 447 deaths | 576 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 478.8 deaths | 396 deaths | 531 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 432 deaths | 306 deaths | 559 deaths | 3 |
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 306 deaths in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 622 deaths in 1991.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 129 deaths in 1950.
- How does Canada rank for homicides?
- Canada ranks 32nd out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada 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.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual number of homicides.