Share of deaths from homicide in Brazil
Brazil: Share of deaths from homicide was 2.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
2.5%
Change on year
down 18.8%
World rank
12th
of 113 countries
All-time high
5.1%
in 2003
All-time low
1.6%
in 1979
Years of data
43
1979–2021
Share of deaths from homicide in Brazil, 1979–2021
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, share of deaths from homicide in Brazil stood at 2.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.8% on the previous year and down 44.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of deaths from homicide in Brazil peaked at 5.1% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1979.
Brazil ranks 12th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Share of deaths from homicide in Brazil, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 1.6% | — |
| 1980 | 1.9% | +17.8% |
| 1981 | 2.0% | +9.4% |
| 1982 | 2.1% | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 2.3% | +7.7% |
| 1984 | 2.4% | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 2.5% | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 2.9% | +14.5% |
| 1988 | 2.8% | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 3.5% | +25.9% |
| 1990 | 3.9% | +11.0% |
| 1991 | 3.8% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | -10.3% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 3.7% | +5.5% |
| 1995 | 4.2% | +13.2% |
| 1996 | 4.3% | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 4.5% | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 4.6% | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 4.8% | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 5.0% | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 5.1% | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 5.1% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 4.7% | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4.8% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 4.6% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 4.7% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 4.6% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 4.5% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 4.7% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 4.9% | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | -12.5% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | -23.2% |
| 2020 | 3.1% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 2.5% | -18.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 1 |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.0% | 3.4% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 3.3% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
- 9 Saint Lucia 3.4% compare
- 10 Dominican Republic 3.2% compare
- 11 Guatemala 2.9% compare
- 13 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.5% compare
- 14 Guyana 2.3% compare
- 15 Costa Rica 2.2% compare
More health data for Brazil
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.86 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1539 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,496 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,476 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 216 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of deaths from homicide in Brazil?
- Share of deaths from homicide in Brazil was 2.5% in 2021, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of deaths from homicide recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of deaths from homicide recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1979.
- How does Brazil rank for share of deaths from homicide?
- Brazil ranks 12th out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of deaths from homicide rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of deaths from homicide. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of annual deaths which are homicides.