Homicides in Latvia
Latvia: Homicides was 48 deaths in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
48 deaths
Change on year
down 14.3%
World rank
67th
of 113 countries
All-time high
638 deaths
in 1993
All-time low
48 deaths
in 2023
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Homicides in Latvia, 1980–2023
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Latvia is 48 deaths, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.3% on the previous year and down 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Latvia peaked at 638 deaths in 1993 and was at its lowest, 48 deaths, in 2023.
That places Latvia 67th out of 113 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Homicides in Latvia, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 148 deaths | — |
| 1981 | 178 deaths | +20.3% |
| 1982 | 153 deaths | -14.0% |
| 1983 | 168 deaths | +9.8% |
| 1984 | 156 deaths | -7.1% |
| 1985 | 137 deaths | -12.2% |
| 1986 | 112 deaths | -18.2% |
| 1987 | 115 deaths | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 156 deaths | +35.7% |
| 1989 | 234 deaths | +50.0% |
| 1990 | 245 deaths | +4.7% |
| 1991 | 307 deaths | +25.3% |
| 1992 | 420 deaths | +36.8% |
| 1993 | 638 deaths | +51.9% |
| 1994 | 585 deaths | -8.3% |
| 1995 | 457 deaths | -21.9% |
| 1996 | 382 deaths | -16.4% |
| 1997 | 394 deaths | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 316 deaths | -19.8% |
| 1999 | 308 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 297 deaths | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 290 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 266 deaths | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 247 deaths | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 217 deaths | -12.1% |
| 2005 | 230 deaths | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 218 deaths | -5.2% |
| 2007 | 190 deaths | -12.8% |
| 2008 | 172 deaths | -9.5% |
| 2009 | 143 deaths | -16.9% |
| 2010 | 139 deaths | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 130 deaths | -6.5% |
| 2012 | 129 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 120 deaths | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 138 deaths | +15.0% |
| 2015 | 100 deaths | -27.5% |
| 2016 | 91 deaths | -9.0% |
| 2017 | 75 deaths | -17.6% |
| 2018 | 76 deaths | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 62 deaths | -18.4% |
| 2020 | 63 deaths | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 68 deaths | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 56 deaths | -17.6% |
| 2023 | 48 deaths | -14.3% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 48 deaths is below the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 76% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 48 deaths is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.5 deaths, 76% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 155.7 deaths | 112 deaths | 234 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 405.2 deaths | 245 deaths | 638 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 227 deaths | 143 deaths | 297 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 106 deaths | 62 deaths | 139 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.75 deaths | 48 deaths | 68 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
More social development data for Latvia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 32,454 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 189 (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 189 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0176 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 Latvia?
- Homicides in Latvia was 48 deaths in 2023, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 638 deaths in 1993.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48 deaths in 2023.
- How does Latvia rank for homicides?
- Latvia ranks 67th out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latvia 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 — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.