Homicides (World Health) in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Homicides (World Health) was 702.19 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Costa Rica, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Costa Rica stood at 702.19 deaths. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 47.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Costa Rica peaked at 702.19 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 250.96 deaths, in 2000.
Costa Rica ranks 72nd of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides (World Health) in Costa Rica, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 250.96 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 258.21 deaths | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 258.63 deaths | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 301.75 deaths | +16.7% |
| 2004 | 281.52 deaths | -6.7% |
| 2005 | 336.1 deaths | +19.4% |
| 2006 | 352.64 deaths | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 366.47 deaths | +3.9% |
| 2008 | 510.48 deaths | +39.3% |
| 2009 | 523.43 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 529.99 deaths | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 477.67 deaths | -9.9% |
| 2012 | 408.43 deaths | -14.5% |
| 2013 | 413.42 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 480.07 deaths | +16.1% |
| 2015 | 553.93 deaths | +15.4% |
| 2016 | 574.29 deaths | +3.7% |
| 2017 | 599.93 deaths | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 610.54 deaths | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 635.28 deaths | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 672.6 deaths | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 702.19 deaths | +4.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 702.19 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 9.9× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 702.19 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 702.19 deaths, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides (World Health) in Costa Rica 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +39.3% | 366.47 deaths | 510.48 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 344.02 deaths | 250.96 deaths | 523.43 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 528.36 deaths | 408.43 deaths | 635.28 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 687.39 deaths | 672.6 deaths | 702.19 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More social development data for Costa Rica
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 36,395 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 367 (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 367 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0071 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 Costa Rica?
- Homicides in Costa Rica was 702.19 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 702.19 deaths in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 250.96 deaths in 2000.
- How does Costa Rica rank for homicides?
- Costa Rica ranks 72nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Costa Rica data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.