Homicides in Venezuela
Venezuela: Homicides was 13,846 deaths in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2016)
13,846 deaths
Change on year
up 27.6%
World rank
5th
of 113 countries
All-time high
13,846 deaths
in 2016
All-time low
279 deaths
in 1957
Years of data
59
1955–2016
Homicides in Venezuela, 1955–2016
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Venezuela is 13,846 deaths, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
That represents a change of up 27.6% on the previous year and up 56.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Venezuela peaked at 13,846 deaths in 2016 and was at its lowest, 279 deaths, in 1957.
That places Venezuela 5th out of 113 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Homicides in Venezuela, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 324 deaths | — |
| 1956 | 318 deaths | -1.9% |
| 1957 | 279 deaths | -12.3% |
| 1958 | 503 deaths | +80.3% |
| 1959 | 481 deaths | -4.4% |
| 1960 | 550 deaths | +14.3% |
| 1961 | 622 deaths | +13.1% |
| 1962 | 784 deaths | +26.0% |
| 1963 | 924 deaths | +17.9% |
| 1964 | 858 deaths | -7.1% |
| 1965 | 808 deaths | -5.8% |
| 1966 | 744 deaths | -7.9% |
| 1967 | 722 deaths | -3.0% |
| 1968 | 762 deaths | +5.5% |
| 1969 | 782 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 772 deaths | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 806 deaths | +4.4% |
| 1972 | 848 deaths | +5.2% |
| 1973 | 962 deaths | +13.4% |
| 1974 | 1,043 deaths | +8.4% |
| 1975 | 938 deaths | -10.1% |
| 1976 | 1,021 deaths | +8.8% |
| 1977 | 1,094 deaths | +7.1% |
| 1978 | 1,195 deaths | +9.2% |
| 1979 | 1,411 deaths | +18.1% |
| 1980 | 1,763 deaths | +24.9% |
| 1981 | 1,508 deaths | -14.5% |
| 1982 | 1,823 deaths | +20.9% |
| 1983 | 2,118 deaths | +16.2% |
| 1985 | 1,632 deaths | -22.9% |
| 1986 | 1,419 deaths | -13.1% |
| 1987 | 1,400 deaths | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 1,627 deaths | +16.2% |
| 1989 | 2,290 deaths | +40.7% |
| 1990 | 2,540 deaths | +10.9% |
| 1992 | 2,705 deaths | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 3,093 deaths | +14.3% |
| 1994 | 3,353 deaths | +8.4% |
| 1996 | 3,329 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 2,864 deaths | -14.0% |
| 1998 | 2,817 deaths | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 4,021 deaths | +42.7% |
| 2000 | 6,370 deaths | +58.4% |
| 2001 | 6,566 deaths | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 7,488 deaths | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 8,795 deaths | +17.5% |
| 2004 | 7,357 deaths | -16.4% |
| 2005 | 7,610 deaths | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 8,822 deaths | +15.9% |
| 2007 | 9,474 deaths | +7.4% |
| 2008 | 10,491 deaths | +10.7% |
| 2009 | 9,603 deaths | -8.5% |
| 2010 | 9,050 deaths | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 8,881 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 9,960 deaths | +12.1% |
| 2013 | 8,846 deaths | -11.2% |
| 2014 | 9,255 deaths | +4.6% |
| 2015 | 10,853 deaths | +17.3% |
| 2016 | 13,846 deaths | +27.6% |
Venezuela compared with similar countries
- Venezuela's 13,846 deaths is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 132 deaths, 104.9× the median. (6 countries reporting)
- Venezuela's 13,846 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 438 deaths, 31.6× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 381 deaths | 279 deaths | 503 deaths | 5 |
| 1960s | 755.6 deaths | 550 deaths | 924 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,009 deaths | 772 deaths | 1,411 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,731 deaths | 1,400 deaths | 2,290 deaths | 9 |
| 1990s | 3,090 deaths | 2,540 deaths | 4,021 deaths | 8 |
| 2000s | 8,258 deaths | 6,370 deaths | 10,491 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,099 deaths | 8,846 deaths | 13,846 deaths | 7 |
Countries ranked near Venezuela
- 2 Mexico 31,895 deaths compare
- 3 United States 24,849 deaths compare
- 4 Colombia 14,457 deaths compare
- 6 Philippines 8,831 deaths compare
- 7 Russia 7,302 deaths compare
- 8 South Africa 5,668 deaths compare
More social development data for Venezuela
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 14,333 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 417,010 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0146 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 417,010 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0005 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 Venezuela?
- Homicides in Venezuela was 13,846 deaths in 2016, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Venezuela?
- The highest recorded value was 13,846 deaths in 2016.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Venezuela?
- The lowest recorded value was 279 deaths in 1957.
- How does Venezuela rank for homicides?
- Venezuela ranks 5th out of 113 countries with data for 2016.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Venezuela?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Venezuela 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 — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.