Homicides in Guatemala
Guatemala: Homicides was 4,614 deaths in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
4,614 deaths
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
22nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
6,759 deaths
in 2009
All-time low
3,129 deaths
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicides in Guatemala, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Guatemala recorded 4,614 deaths for homicides in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and down 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Guatemala peaked at 6,759 deaths in 2009 and was at its lowest, 3,129 deaths, in 2000.
That places Guatemala 22nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
Homicides in Guatemala, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3,129 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 3,488 deaths | +11.5% |
| 2002 | 3,898 deaths | +11.8% |
| 2003 | 4,521 deaths | +16.0% |
| 2004 | 4,800 deaths | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 5,659 deaths | +17.9% |
| 2006 | 6,217 deaths | +9.9% |
| 2007 | 6,098 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 6,549 deaths | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 6,759 deaths | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 6,180 deaths | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 5,870 deaths | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 5,416 deaths | -7.7% |
| 2013 | 5,328 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 5,059 deaths | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 4,584 deaths | -9.4% |
| 2016 | 4,381 deaths | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 4,155 deaths | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 4,514 deaths | +8.6% |
| 2019 | 4,411 deaths | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 4,515 deaths | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 4,614 deaths | +2.2% |
Guatemala compared with similar countries
- Guatemala's 4,614 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 237.51 deaths, 19.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Guatemala's 4,614 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 702.19 deaths, 6.6× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5,112 deaths | 3,129 deaths | 6,759 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,990 deaths | 4,155 deaths | 6,180 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,565 deaths | 4,515 deaths | 4,614 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Guatemala
More social development data for Guatemala
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,586 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0019 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 34,994 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Guatemala?
- Homicides in Guatemala was 4,614 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Guatemala?
- The highest recorded value was 6,759 deaths in 2009.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Guatemala?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,129 deaths in 2000.
- How does Guatemala rank for homicides?
- Guatemala ranks 22nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Guatemala?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Guatemala 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.