Homicides in United States
United States: Homicides was 19,110 deaths in 2021. ▬ Flat
Latest (2021)
19,110 deaths
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
5th
of 194 countries
All-time high
21,042 deaths
in 2001
All-time low
16,277 deaths
in 2014
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicides in United States, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in United States stood at 19,110 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 14.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in United States peaked at 21,042 deaths in 2001 and was at its lowest, 16,277 deaths, in 2014.
That places United States 5th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
Homicides in United States, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17,290 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 21,042 deaths | +21.7% |
| 2002 | 18,238 deaths | -13.3% |
| 2003 | 18,369 deaths | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 17,955 deaths | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 18,716 deaths | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 19,246 deaths | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 19,011 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 18,393 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 17,500 deaths | -4.9% |
| 2010 | 16,912 deaths | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 16,746 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 17,233 deaths | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 16,616 deaths | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 16,277 deaths | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 18,364 deaths | +12.8% |
| 2016 | 20,069 deaths | +9.3% |
| 2017 | 20,383 deaths | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 18,902 deaths | -7.3% |
| 2019 | 18,976 deaths | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 19,162 deaths | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 19,110 deaths | -0.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 19,110 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 268.4× the median. (63 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 18,576 deaths | 17,290 deaths | 21,042 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 18,048 deaths | 16,277 deaths | 20,383 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 19,136 deaths | 19,110 deaths | 19,162 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,667 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0013 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 United States?
- Homicides in United States was 19,110 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 21,042 deaths in 2001.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,277 deaths in 2014.
- How does United States rank for homicides?
- United States ranks 5th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States 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.
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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.