Homicides in Colombia
Colombia: Homicides was 14,457 deaths in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
14,457 deaths
Change on year
up 16.5%
World rank
4th
of 113 countries
All-time high
31,762 deaths
in 2002
All-time low
2,887 deaths
in 1969
Years of data
60
1953–2021
Homicides in Colombia, 1953–2021
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Colombia stood at 14,457 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.5% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Colombia peaked at 31,762 deaths in 2002 and was at its lowest, 2,887 deaths, in 1969.
That places Colombia 4th out of 113 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Homicides in Colombia, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 3,772 deaths | — |
| 1954 | 3,121 deaths | -17.3% |
| 1955 | 4,156 deaths | +33.2% |
| 1956 | 5,187 deaths | +24.8% |
| 1957 | 5,471 deaths | +5.5% |
| 1958 | 6,966 deaths | +27.3% |
| 1959 | 5,513 deaths | -20.9% |
| 1960 | 4,799 deaths | -13.0% |
| 1961 | 5,261 deaths | +9.6% |
| 1962 | 5,393 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 5,051 deaths | -6.3% |
| 1964 | 4,459 deaths | -11.7% |
| 1965 | 4,589 deaths | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 3,953 deaths | -13.9% |
| 1967 | 4,135 deaths | +4.6% |
| 1968 | 3,264 deaths | -21.1% |
| 1969 | 2,887 deaths | -11.6% |
| 1972 | 3,821 deaths | +32.4% |
| 1974 | 4,416 deaths | +15.6% |
| 1975 | 4,327 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 4,722 deaths | +9.1% |
| 1977 | 5,423 deaths | +14.8% |
| 1984 | 9,360 deaths | +72.6% |
| 1985 | 12,101 deaths | +29.3% |
| 1986 | 14,288 deaths | +18.1% |
| 1987 | 15,598 deaths | +9.2% |
| 1988 | 18,852 deaths | +20.9% |
| 1989 | 21,607 deaths | +14.6% |
| 1990 | 24,033 deaths | +11.2% |
| 1991 | 29,413 deaths | +22.4% |
| 1992 | 30,004 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 29,549 deaths | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 27,620 deaths | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 23,443 deaths | -15.1% |
| 1996 | 24,849 deaths | +6.0% |
| 1997 | 22,699 deaths | -8.7% |
| 1998 | 24,715 deaths | +8.9% |
| 1999 | 25,855 deaths | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 28,756 deaths | +11.2% |
| 2001 | 30,075 deaths | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 31,762 deaths | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 23,591 deaths | -25.7% |
| 2004 | 22,341 deaths | -5.3% |
| 2005 | 18,851 deaths | -15.6% |
| 2006 | 18,024 deaths | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 16,730 deaths | -7.2% |
| 2008 | 16,923 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2009 | 19,681 deaths | +16.3% |
| 2010 | 18,439 deaths | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 16,685 deaths | -9.5% |
| 2012 | 15,747 deaths | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 14,745 deaths | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 12,893 deaths | -12.6% |
| 2015 | 12,378 deaths | -4.0% |
| 2016 | 12,006 deaths | -3.0% |
| 2017 | 12,093 deaths | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 12,737 deaths | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 13,055 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 12,413 deaths | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 14,457 deaths | +16.5% |
Colombia compared with similar countries
- Colombia's 14,457 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 135 deaths, 107.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Colombia's 14,457 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 438 deaths, 33.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4,884 deaths | 3,121 deaths | 6,966 deaths | 7 |
| 1960s | 4,379 deaths | 2,887 deaths | 5,393 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 4,542 deaths | 3,821 deaths | 5,423 deaths | 5 |
| 1980s | 15,301 deaths | 9,360 deaths | 21,607 deaths | 6 |
| 1990s | 26,218 deaths | 22,699 deaths | 30,004 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 22,673 deaths | 16,730 deaths | 31,762 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,078 deaths | 12,006 deaths | 18,439 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 13,435 deaths | 12,413 deaths | 14,457 deaths | 2 |
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 14,457 deaths in 2021, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 31,762 deaths in 2002.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,887 deaths in 1969.
- How does Colombia rank for homicides?
- Colombia ranks 4th out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Colombia 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
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.