Highest murder rates
Jamaica has the highest recorded homicide rate in the latest data, 51.9 intentional homicides per 100,000 people in 2021, followed by South Africa at 40.9.
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What the data shows
- Jamaica ranks #1 with 51.9, ahead of South Africa (40.9) and Honduras (38.2).
About this chart
Jamaica records the highest intentional homicide rate in this dataset at 51.9 per 100,000 people in 2021. South Africa follows at 40.9, Honduras at 38.2, Trinidad and Tobago at 30.1 and Myanmar at 28.7, all in 2021. Mexico (28.0) and Colombia (25.6) come next. Latin America and the Caribbean account for most of the list, alongside South Africa, Nigeria and Myanmar.
The indicator is intentional homicides per 100,000 people, compiled by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and republished by the World Bank. It covers countries with more than 1 million people. Each country appears at its most recent value from the last ten years, so most entries are from 2021, while Nigeria is from 2019, the Central African Republic from 2016 and Eritrea from 2012. Definitions and recording practices differ between countries, which affects comparisons.
The data
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5), intentional homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC); countries over 1 million people. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Each country's most recent value from the last ten years.
| Date | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 🇨🇫 Central African Republic | 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | 🇪🇷 Eritrea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latest | 51.9 | 40.9 | 38.2 | 30.1 | 28.7 | 28.0 | 25.6 | 21.1 | 20.5 | 20.2 | 20.1 | 19.4 | 19.3 | 17.3 | 15.6 |
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Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest murder rate?
Jamaica has the highest intentional homicide rate in the latest data, at 51.9 per 100,000 people in 2021. South Africa is second at 40.9 and Honduras third at 38.2.
What does the murder rate measure?
It measures intentional homicides per 100,000 people in a year, using figures compiled by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. It is a rate rather than a total, so it allows comparison between countries of different sizes.
Are all countries measured in the same year?
No. Most figures are from 2021, but each country is shown at its latest value from the last ten years. Nigeria's 21.1 is from 2019, the Central African Republic's 20.1 from 2016 and Eritrea's 15.6 from 2012.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank, World Development Indicators (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5), intentional homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC); countries over 1 million people. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Each country's most recent value from the last ten years. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.
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