Homicides in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Homicides was 585 deaths in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
585 deaths
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
21st
of 113 countries
All-time high
1,070 deaths
in 2011
All-time low
148 deaths
in 1963
Years of data
56
1961–2022
Homicides in Puerto Rico, 1961–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2022, homicides in Puerto Rico stood at 585 deaths.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Puerto Rico peaked at 1,070 deaths in 2011 and was at its lowest, 148 deaths, in 1963.
Puerto Rico ranks 21st of 113 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 194.29 deaths | 148 deaths | 218 deaths | 7 |
| 1970s | 423.67 deaths | 236 deaths | 536 deaths | 9 |
| 1980s | 530.4 deaths | 433 deaths | 723 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 841.5 deaths | 583 deaths | 1,017 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 759 deaths | 677 deaths | 927 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 809.75 deaths | 587 deaths | 1,070 deaths | 8 |
| 2020s | 594 deaths | 585 deaths | 603 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More social development data for Puerto Rico
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2015)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 0 (2024)
- Political Rights Score 37 (2015)
- Freedom Score 90 (2015)
- Internally displaced people due to conflict 0 people (2024)
- Homicide rate 15.08 homicides per 100,000 population (2024)
- Homicides 489 homicides (2024)
- Homicide rate, WHO vs. UNODC 15.08 homicides per 100,000 population (2024)
- Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 15.08 homicides per 100,000 population (2024)
- Child homicide rate 7.43 deaths per 100,000 people (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Puerto Rico?
- Homicides in Puerto Rico was 585 deaths in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 1,070 deaths in 2011.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 148 deaths in 1963.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for homicides?
- Puerto Rico ranks 21st out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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 — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.