Homicides in Ecuador
Ecuador: Homicides was 1,168 deaths in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicides in Ecuador, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Ecuador stood at 1,168 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 60.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Ecuador peaked at 3,317 deaths in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1,093 deaths, in 2017.
Ecuador ranks 52nd of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides in Ecuador, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,974 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 2,790 deaths | -6.2% |
| 2002 | 2,793 deaths | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 2,336 deaths | -16.4% |
| 2004 | 2,965 deaths | +26.9% |
| 2005 | 3,099 deaths | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 3,028 deaths | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 2,945 deaths | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 3,317 deaths | +12.6% |
| 2009 | 3,001 deaths | -9.5% |
| 2010 | 3,229 deaths | +7.6% |
| 2011 | 2,972 deaths | -7.9% |
| 2012 | 2,362 deaths | -20.5% |
| 2013 | 1,877 deaths | -20.5% |
| 2014 | 1,633 deaths | -13.0% |
| 2015 | 1,428 deaths | -12.6% |
| 2016 | 1,254 deaths | -12.2% |
| 2017 | 1,093 deaths | -12.8% |
| 2018 | 1,297 deaths | +18.7% |
| 2019 | 1,210 deaths | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 1,179 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 1,168 deaths | -1.0% |
Ecuador compared with similar countries
- Ecuador's 1,168 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 237.51 deaths, 4.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Ecuador's 1,168 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 702.19 deaths, 1.7× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,925 deaths | 2,336 deaths | 3,317 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,835 deaths | 1,093 deaths | 3,229 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,173 deaths | 1,168 deaths | 1,179 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ecuador
More social development data for Ecuador
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 26,428 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,723 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 5,723 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0014 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 Ecuador?
- Homicides in Ecuador was 1,168 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Ecuador?
- The highest recorded value was 3,317 deaths in 2008.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Ecuador?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,093 deaths in 2017.
- How does Ecuador rank for homicides?
- Ecuador ranks 52nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Ecuador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ecuador 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.