Data Insights
Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, published every few days.
HomicidesAugust 27, 2025
Homicide rates in Ecuador have increased steeply in the last few years
For most of the 2010s, Ecuador had some of the lowest murder rates in Latin America. According to data from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, rates were often three or four times lower than the regional average.
But as you can see in the chart, homicide rates have risen steeply in the last few years. From 2020 to 2023, rates increased more than fivefold. To put this in context: the number of people murdered each year increased from roughly 1,400 to 8,200.
Ecuador went from being one of the safest countries in the region to having one of the highest murder rates, not only in Latin America, but in the world as a whole.
This increase in violence has been linked to Ecuador’s growing role in international drug trafficking and competition between criminal groups. Large outbreaks of prison violence, often involving rival gangs, have also contributed.
Estimates of homicide rates can vary between sources; read our explainer on differences between them →
June 27, 2025
Homicide rates in Italy have dropped by 80% since 1990
Italy has become much safer over the last thirty years.
In the early 1990s, there were around 3 homicides per 100,000 people every year. That was one of the highest rates in Europe.
Since then, rates have fallen by more than 80%. As you can see in the chart, they have been around 0.5 per 100,000 in recent years. That now makes Italy safer than many of its European neighbours.
Mafia-related homicides dropped dramatically in the 1990s following intensified efforts from the Italian government. Some of this organized crime may have also shifted from violent acts towards financial and “white collar” crime.
While estimates can vary across data sources, for Italy, they show strong agreement →
March 31, 2025
Twice as many young Brazilians die from homicide than road injuries
Homicide rates in Brazil are among some of the highest in the world, and young people are more likely to be victims.
Another large killer of young people is road injuries. But in Brazil, the number of homicide deaths among young people is twice as high as that of road fatalities.
You can see this in the chart: an estimated 48,000 people aged 15 to 49 years died by homicide in 2021 — almost double the 25,000 who died from road injuries.
These comparisons are based on data from the IHME’s Global Burden of Disease study. Note that estimates of homicides can vary by source, as explained by my colleagues Bastian Herre and Fiona Spooner.
Explore more data on homicide rates across the world, including comparisons of different sources →
December 18, 2024
Since 2000, homicide rates have dropped sharply in Europe but barely changed in the United States
Homicide rates measure the number of intentional, illegal killings per 100,000 people annually.
Since 2000, rates in the United States have fluctuated around 6 homicides per 100,000. They fell from a peak of 6.7 in 2001 to 4.4 in 2014 but climbed back to 6.4 in 2022. Preliminary data suggests they fell back to 5.7 in 2023.
Over the same period, Europe’s rates fell from nearly 8 per 100,000 people in 2000 to just above 2 — a drop of almost three-quarters.
July 12, 2024
The rise and fall of homicides in Europe
Homicide rates in Europe surged in the second half of the twentieth century but have dropped over the last 30 years.
The chart shows the rates for several European countries based on data from the WHO Mortality Database.
You can see that this trend was most pronounced in Italy. Homicide rates more than doubled from less than 1 per 100,000 people in the late 1960s to more than 2 in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since then, rates have even fallen below earlier levels.
This rise and fall in homicides is relatively consistent across other European countries, although the timing and magnitude of these changes differ. France, for example, saw a wave of homicides in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Explore this data country by country →
June 11, 2024
Homicide rates have declined dramatically over the centuries
It is hard to imagine just how violent the past was.
The chart shows that in the 13th and 14th centuries, based on data from researcher Manuel Eisner, homicide rates across Western Europe were higher than 10 murders per 100,000 people in a year. In Italy, the rate was as high as 70 murders per 100,000 people.
Since then, murder rates have fallen significantly across these countries. According to data from WHO’s Mortality Database, their homicide rate is now around 1 murder per 100,000 people — less than a tenth of what it used to be.
Despite these improvements, homicides remain a common cause of death globally and are even a leading cause in some countries. But significant and lasting reductions in violence between people are possible.
Explore this data →
April 25, 2024
Colombia’s homicide rate has more than halved since the 1990s
Half as many people died from homicides in Colombia in recent years than only a few decades ago.
In the 1990s, more than 60 people per 100,000 were killed in homicides each year, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Homicide was the cause of 15% of all deaths at the time.
The homicide rate has fallen significantly since then, as the chart shows. In 2021, it was around 27 homicides per 100,000 people.
The country’s rate is now much closer to the regional rate of the Americas, at 15 homicides per 100,000 people.
Still, this means that homicides are almost twice as common in Colombia than in its world region, and more than 13 times as common than in Europe — the safest world region — with only 2 homicides per 100,000 people.