Homicides in Portugal
Portugal: Homicides was 98 deaths in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
98 deaths
Change on year
up 8.9%
World rank
50th
of 113 countries
All-time high
182 deaths
in 2002
All-time low
63 deaths
in 1972
Years of data
63
1955–2022
Homicides in Portugal, 1955–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2022, homicides in Portugal stood at 98 deaths.
The figure is up 8.9% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Portugal peaked at 182 deaths in 2002 and was at its lowest, 63 deaths, in 1972.
That places Portugal 50th out of 113 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Homicides in Portugal, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 119 deaths | — |
| 1956 | 134 deaths | +12.6% |
| 1957 | 116 deaths | -13.4% |
| 1958 | 92 deaths | -20.7% |
| 1959 | 75 deaths | -18.5% |
| 1960 | 82 deaths | +9.3% |
| 1961 | 128 deaths | +56.1% |
| 1962 | 86 deaths | -32.8% |
| 1963 | 91 deaths | +5.8% |
| 1964 | 109 deaths | +19.8% |
| 1965 | 89 deaths | -18.3% |
| 1966 | 82 deaths | -7.9% |
| 1967 | 123 deaths | +50.0% |
| 1968 | 78 deaths | -36.6% |
| 1969 | 81 deaths | +3.8% |
| 1970 | 69 deaths | -14.8% |
| 1971 | 103 deaths | +49.3% |
| 1972 | 63 deaths | -38.8% |
| 1973 | 70 deaths | +11.1% |
| 1974 | 118 deaths | +68.6% |
| 1975 | 178 deaths | +50.8% |
| 1976 | 164 deaths | -7.9% |
| 1977 | 163 deaths | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 149 deaths | -8.6% |
| 1979 | 154 deaths | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 126 deaths | -18.2% |
| 1981 | 117 deaths | -7.1% |
| 1982 | 126 deaths | +7.7% |
| 1983 | 152 deaths | +20.6% |
| 1984 | 171 deaths | +12.5% |
| 1985 | 144 deaths | -15.8% |
| 1986 | 139 deaths | -3.5% |
| 1987 | 128 deaths | -7.9% |
| 1988 | 139 deaths | +8.6% |
| 1989 | 152 deaths | +9.4% |
| 1990 | 165 deaths | +8.6% |
| 1991 | 162 deaths | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 152 deaths | -6.2% |
| 1993 | 149 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 153 deaths | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 172 deaths | +12.4% |
| 1996 | 131 deaths | -23.8% |
| 1997 | 125 deaths | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 131 deaths | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 118 deaths | -9.9% |
| 2000 | 97 deaths | -17.8% |
| 2001 | 134 deaths | +38.1% |
| 2002 | 182 deaths | +35.8% |
| 2003 | 170 deaths | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 111 deaths | -34.7% |
| 2008 | 148 deaths | +33.3% |
| 2009 | 103 deaths | -30.4% |
| 2010 | 131 deaths | +27.2% |
| 2011 | 99 deaths | -24.4% |
| 2012 | 121 deaths | +22.2% |
| 2013 | 97 deaths | -19.8% |
| 2014 | 109 deaths | +12.4% |
| 2015 | 104 deaths | -4.6% |
| 2016 | 83 deaths | -20.2% |
| 2017 | 73 deaths | -12.0% |
| 2018 | 80 deaths | +9.6% |
| 2019 | 90 deaths | +12.5% |
| 2022 | 98 deaths | +8.9% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 98 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 1.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 98 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.5 deaths, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 107.2 deaths | 75 deaths | 134 deaths | 5 |
| 1960s | 94.9 deaths | 78 deaths | 128 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 123.1 deaths | 63 deaths | 178 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 139.4 deaths | 117 deaths | 171 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 145.8 deaths | 118 deaths | 172 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 135 deaths | 97 deaths | 182 deaths | 7 |
| 2010s | 98.7 deaths | 73 deaths | 131 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 98 deaths | 98 deaths | 98 deaths | 1 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More social development data for Portugal
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 70,349 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 109 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 109 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0065 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 Portugal?
- Homicides in Portugal was 98 deaths in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 182 deaths in 2002.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 63 deaths in 1972.
- How does Portugal rank for homicides?
- Portugal ranks 50th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Portugal 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.