Homicides in Jamaica
Jamaica: Homicides was 30 deaths in 2014. ◆ Volatile
Homicides in Jamaica, 1960–2014
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2014, homicides in Jamaica stood at 30 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 15.4% on the previous year and up 200.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Jamaica peaked at 1,675 deaths in 2005 and was at its lowest, 2 deaths, in 1990.
Jamaica ranks 79th 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 Jamaica, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 39 deaths | — |
| 1961 | 23 deaths | -41.0% |
| 1965 | 10 deaths | -56.5% |
| 1967 | 33 deaths | +230.0% |
| 1977 | 15 deaths | -54.5% |
| 1980 | 17 deaths | +13.3% |
| 1981 | 15 deaths | -11.8% |
| 1982 | 5 deaths | -66.7% |
| 1983 | 53 deaths | +960.0% |
| 1984 | 33 deaths | -37.7% |
| 1985 | 32 deaths | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 5 deaths | -84.4% |
| 1987 | 71 deaths | +1320.0% |
| 1988 | 5 deaths | -93.0% |
| 1989 | 5 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2 deaths | -60.0% |
| 1991 | 9 deaths | +350.0% |
| 2000 | 24 deaths | +166.7% |
| 2001 | 27 deaths | +12.5% |
| 2002 | 12 deaths | -55.6% |
| 2003 | 15 deaths | +25.0% |
| 2004 | 10 deaths | -33.3% |
| 2005 | 1,675 deaths | +16650.0% |
| 2006 | 19 deaths | -98.9% |
| 2009 | 1,565 deaths | +8136.8% |
| 2010 | 43 deaths | -97.3% |
| 2011 | 952 deaths | +2114.0% |
| 2012 | 36 deaths | -96.2% |
| 2013 | 26 deaths | -27.8% |
| 2014 | 30 deaths | +15.4% |
Jamaica compared with similar countries
- Jamaica's 30 deaths is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 135 deaths, 22% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Jamaica's 30 deaths is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 438 deaths, 7% of the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides in Jamaica 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +16650.0% | 10 deaths | 1,675 deaths |
| 2009 | +8136.8% | 19 deaths | 1,565 deaths |
| 2011 | +2114.0% | 43 deaths | 952 deaths |
| 1987 | +1320.0% | 5 deaths | 71 deaths |
| 1983 | +960.0% | 5 deaths | 53 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.25 deaths | 10 deaths | 39 deaths | 4 |
| 1970s | 15 deaths | 15 deaths | 15 deaths | 1 |
| 1980s | 24.1 deaths | 5 deaths | 71 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.5 deaths | 2 deaths | 9 deaths | 2 |
| 2000s | 418.38 deaths | 10 deaths | 1,675 deaths | 8 |
| 2010s | 217.4 deaths | 26 deaths | 952 deaths | 5 |
Countries ranked near Jamaica
More social development data for Jamaica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 31 (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (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 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,642 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2022)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Jamaica?
- Homicides in Jamaica was 30 deaths in 2014, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Jamaica?
- The highest recorded value was 1,675 deaths in 2005.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Jamaica?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 deaths in 1990.
- How does Jamaica rank for homicides?
- Jamaica ranks 79th out of 113 countries with data for 2014.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Jamaica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 200.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Jamaica 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 — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.