Homicides in Uruguay
Uruguay: Homicides was 315.13 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Uruguay, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Uruguay is 315.13 deaths, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 58.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Uruguay peaked at 315.13 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 187.82 deaths, in 2005.
Uruguay ranks 97th 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 in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 213.33 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 217.58 deaths | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 230.94 deaths | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 196.78 deaths | -14.8% |
| 2004 | 194.1 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 187.82 deaths | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 201.77 deaths | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 193.81 deaths | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 220.2 deaths | +13.6% |
| 2009 | 224.92 deaths | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 203.74 deaths | -9.4% |
| 2011 | 198.27 deaths | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 265.65 deaths | +34.0% |
| 2013 | 255.07 deaths | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 265.63 deaths | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 273.87 deaths | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 273.43 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 277.31 deaths | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 287.24 deaths | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 295.06 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 306.4 deaths | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 315.13 deaths | +2.8% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 315.13 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 4.4× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 315.13 deaths is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 702.19 deaths, 45% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides in Uruguay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +34.0% | 198.27 deaths | 265.65 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 208.12 deaths | 187.82 deaths | 230.94 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 259.53 deaths | 198.27 deaths | 295.06 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 310.76 deaths | 306.4 deaths | 315.13 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More social development data for Uruguay
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,195 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 126 (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 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 126 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 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 Uruguay?
- Homicides in Uruguay was 315.13 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 315.13 deaths in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 187.82 deaths in 2005.
- How does Uruguay rank for homicides?
- Uruguay ranks 97th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay 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.