Homicides in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Homicides was 623 deaths in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
623 deaths
Change on year
up 9.9%
World rank
20th
of 113 countries
All-time high
623 deaths
in 2022
All-time low
37 deaths
in 1961
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Homicides in Costa Rica, 1961–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 623 deaths for homicides in 2022. That is the highest value across all 62 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.9% on the previous year and up 72.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Costa Rica peaked at 623 deaths in 2022 and was at its lowest, 37 deaths, in 1961.
Costa Rica ranks 20th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Homicides in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 37 deaths | — |
| 1962 | 48 deaths | +29.7% |
| 1963 | 43 deaths | -10.4% |
| 1964 | 49 deaths | +14.0% |
| 1965 | 44 deaths | -10.2% |
| 1966 | 61 deaths | +38.6% |
| 1967 | 40 deaths | -34.4% |
| 1968 | 39 deaths | -2.5% |
| 1969 | 50 deaths | +28.2% |
| 1970 | 65 deaths | +30.0% |
| 1971 | 74 deaths | +13.8% |
| 1972 | 60 deaths | -18.9% |
| 1973 | 62 deaths | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 63 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 94 deaths | +49.2% |
| 1976 | 112 deaths | +19.1% |
| 1977 | 90 deaths | -19.6% |
| 1978 | 79 deaths | -12.2% |
| 1979 | 81 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 130 deaths | +60.5% |
| 1981 | 106 deaths | -18.5% |
| 1982 | 100 deaths | -5.7% |
| 1983 | 94 deaths | -6.0% |
| 1984 | 114 deaths | +21.3% |
| 1985 | 127 deaths | +11.4% |
| 1986 | 109 deaths | -14.2% |
| 1987 | 131 deaths | +20.2% |
| 1988 | 115 deaths | -12.2% |
| 1989 | 129 deaths | +12.2% |
| 1990 | 135 deaths | +4.7% |
| 1991 | 128 deaths | -5.2% |
| 1992 | 162 deaths | +26.6% |
| 1993 | 166 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 184 deaths | +10.8% |
| 1995 | 179 deaths | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 195 deaths | +8.9% |
| 1997 | 205 deaths | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 214 deaths | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 236 deaths | +10.3% |
| 2000 | 241 deaths | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 244 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 236 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 286 deaths | +21.2% |
| 2004 | 260 deaths | -9.1% |
| 2005 | 301 deaths | +15.8% |
| 2006 | 326 deaths | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 269 deaths | -17.5% |
| 2008 | 393 deaths | +46.1% |
| 2009 | 411 deaths | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 485 deaths | +18.0% |
| 2011 | 438 deaths | -9.7% |
| 2012 | 362 deaths | -17.4% |
| 2013 | 368 deaths | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 443 deaths | +20.4% |
| 2015 | 524 deaths | +18.3% |
| 2016 | 522 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 550 deaths | +5.4% |
| 2018 | 570 deaths | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 543 deaths | -4.7% |
| 2020 | 514 deaths | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 567 deaths | +10.3% |
| 2022 | 623 deaths | +9.9% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 623 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 9.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 623 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 438 deaths, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 45.67 deaths | 37 deaths | 61 deaths | 9 |
| 1970s | 78 deaths | 60 deaths | 112 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 115.5 deaths | 94 deaths | 131 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 180.4 deaths | 128 deaths | 236 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 296.7 deaths | 236 deaths | 411 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 480.5 deaths | 362 deaths | 570 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 568 deaths | 514 deaths | 623 deaths | 3 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More social development data for Costa Rica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (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 367 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0071 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 Costa Rica?
- Homicides in Costa Rica was 623 deaths in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 623 deaths in 2022.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 37 deaths in 1961.
- How does Costa Rica rank for homicides?
- Costa Rica ranks 20th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 72.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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.