Homicides in Guatemala
Guatemala: Homicides was 2,804 deaths in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
2,804 deaths
Change on year
up 8.2%
World rank
10th
of 113 countries
All-time high
8,079 deaths
in 1981
All-time low
94 deaths
in 1974
Years of data
52
1963–2022
Homicides in Guatemala, 1963–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2022, homicides in Guatemala stood at 2,804 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% on the previous year and down 26.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Guatemala peaked at 8,079 deaths in 1981 and was at its lowest, 94 deaths, in 1974.
Guatemala ranks 10th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Homicides in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 473 deaths | — |
| 1964 | 494 deaths | +4.4% |
| 1965 | 453 deaths | -8.3% |
| 1966 | 679 deaths | +49.9% |
| 1967 | 1,122 deaths | +65.2% |
| 1968 | 909 deaths | -19.0% |
| 1969 | 698 deaths | -23.2% |
| 1970 | 1,044 deaths | +49.6% |
| 1971 | 1,071 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 94 deaths | -91.2% |
| 1977 | 109 deaths | +16.0% |
| 1979 | 1,574 deaths | +1344.0% |
| 1980 | 4,572 deaths | +190.5% |
| 1981 | 8,079 deaths | +76.7% |
| 1984 | 256 deaths | -96.8% |
| 1986 | 1,572 deaths | +514.1% |
| 1987 | 1,891 deaths | +20.3% |
| 1988 | 1,968 deaths | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 1,636 deaths | -16.9% |
| 1990 | 1,663 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 1,691 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 1,690 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 1,693 deaths | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 2,041 deaths | +20.6% |
| 1995 | 1,970 deaths | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 2,166 deaths | +9.9% |
| 1997 | 3,002 deaths | +38.6% |
| 1998 | 2,806 deaths | -6.5% |
| 1999 | 1,978 deaths | -29.5% |
| 2000 | 2,155 deaths | +8.9% |
| 2001 | 2,293 deaths | +6.4% |
| 2002 | 2,782 deaths | +21.3% |
| 2003 | 3,341 deaths | +20.1% |
| 2004 | 3,403 deaths | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 4,368 deaths | +28.4% |
| 2006 | 4,300 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 4,131 deaths | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 5,028 deaths | +21.7% |
| 2009 | 6,038 deaths | +20.1% |
| 2010 | 5,482 deaths | -9.2% |
| 2011 | 4,283 deaths | -21.9% |
| 2012 | 3,821 deaths | -10.8% |
| 2013 | 4,269 deaths | +11.7% |
| 2014 | 4,241 deaths | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 4,131 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 3,945 deaths | -4.5% |
| 2017 | 3,739 deaths | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 3,227 deaths | -13.7% |
| 2019 | 3,182 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 2,268 deaths | -28.7% |
| 2021 | 2,591 deaths | +14.2% |
| 2022 | 2,804 deaths | +8.2% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 2,804 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 135 deaths, 20.8× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 2,804 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 438 deaths, 6.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides in Guatemala changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +1344.0% | 109 deaths | 1,574 deaths |
| 1986 | +514.1% | 256 deaths | 1,572 deaths |
| 1980 | +190.5% | 1,574 deaths | 4,572 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 689.71 deaths | 453 deaths | 1,122 deaths | 7 |
| 1970s | 778.4 deaths | 94 deaths | 1,574 deaths | 5 |
| 1980s | 2,853 deaths | 256 deaths | 8,079 deaths | 7 |
| 1990s | 2,070 deaths | 1,663 deaths | 3,002 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,784 deaths | 2,155 deaths | 6,038 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,032 deaths | 3,182 deaths | 5,482 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,554 deaths | 2,268 deaths | 2,804 deaths | 3 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
- 7 Russia 7,302 deaths compare
- 8 South Africa 5,668 deaths compare
- 9 Ecuador 4,451 deaths compare
- 11 El Salvador 2,552 deaths compare
- 12 Iran 1,955 deaths compare
- 13 Dominican Republic 1,496 deaths compare
More social development data for Guatemala
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,586 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0019 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Guatemala?
- Homicides in Guatemala was 2,804 deaths in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 8,079 deaths in 1981.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 94 deaths in 1974.
- How does Guatemala rank for homicides?
- Guatemala ranks 10th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guatemala 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 — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.