Homicides in Guyana
Guyana: Homicides was 137 deaths in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Homicides in Guyana, 1979–2020
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Guyana is 137 deaths, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 26.9% on the previous year and up 22.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Guyana peaked at 183 deaths in 2003 and was at its lowest, 2 deaths, in 1979.
Guyana ranks 46th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Homicides in Guyana, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2 deaths | — |
| 1984 | 2 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 34 deaths | +1600.0% |
| 1989 | 65 deaths | +91.2% |
| 1990 | 56 deaths | -13.8% |
| 1991 | 48 deaths | -14.3% |
| 1992 | 41 deaths | -14.6% |
| 1993 | 33 deaths | -19.5% |
| 1994 | 42 deaths | +27.3% |
| 1995 | 53 deaths | +26.2% |
| 1996 | 32 deaths | -39.6% |
| 1997 | 28 deaths | -12.5% |
| 1998 | 21 deaths | -25.0% |
| 1999 | 33 deaths | +57.1% |
| 2001 | 67 deaths | +103.0% |
| 2002 | 151 deaths | +125.4% |
| 2003 | 183 deaths | +21.2% |
| 2004 | 104 deaths | -43.2% |
| 2005 | 138 deaths | +32.7% |
| 2006 | 159 deaths | +15.2% |
| 2007 | 105 deaths | -34.0% |
| 2008 | 118 deaths | +12.4% |
| 2009 | 68 deaths | -42.4% |
| 2010 | 112 deaths | +64.7% |
| 2011 | 124 deaths | +10.7% |
| 2012 | 84 deaths | -32.3% |
| 2013 | 134 deaths | +59.5% |
| 2014 | 138 deaths | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 135 deaths | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 132 deaths | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 103 deaths | -22.0% |
| 2018 | 89 deaths | -13.6% |
| 2019 | 108 deaths | +21.3% |
| 2020 | 137 deaths | +26.9% |
Guyana compared with similar countries
- Guyana's 137 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 2.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Guyana's 137 deaths is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 438 deaths, 31% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides in Guyana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +1600.0% | 2 deaths | 34 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2 deaths | 2 deaths | 2 deaths | 1 |
| 1980s | 33.67 deaths | 2 deaths | 65 deaths | 3 |
| 1990s | 38.7 deaths | 21 deaths | 56 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 121.44 deaths | 67 deaths | 183 deaths | 9 |
| 2010s | 115.9 deaths | 84 deaths | 138 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 137 deaths | 137 deaths | 137 deaths | 1 |
Countries ranked near Guyana
More social development data for Guyana
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 342 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 50 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0004 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 342 (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 Guyana?
- Homicides in Guyana was 137 deaths in 2020, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Guyana?
- The highest recorded value was 183 deaths in 2003.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Guyana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 deaths in 1979.
- How does Guyana rank for homicides?
- Guyana ranks 46th out of 113 countries with data for 2020.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Guyana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 22.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Guyana 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 — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.