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Gun Violence by Country 2024

Gun violence is an ongoing concern all over the world, even in the world's safest countries—even, in fact, in countries where guns are illegal (though admittedly to a lesser degree). The rate of gun deaths per country varies widely, from 39.2 per 100k residents in El Salvador to roughly 1 in a million in Singapore, and is heavily influenced by the rate of civilian gun ownership per country and by each nation's gun control laws. Gun violence rates are realted to rates of violent crime, but do not necessarily move in parallel.

Gun violence is particularly prevalent in many South American and Central American countries, due to either civil unrest or drug cartels, which battle both law enforcement agencies and one another. It is also high in several developing countries in Africa and the Middle East. Finally, gun violence is considered an epidemic in the United States, which leads the world in mass shootings and has the highest levels of gun violence of any developed country by a wide margin.

10 Countries with the Most Gun Deaths

Country
Gun Deaths
Homicides
Suicides
Unintentional
Brazil43,20040,6001,730867
United States37,20012,40023,800909
India26,50011,60013,4001,540
Mexico15,40013,800841740
Colombia13,30012,600595160
Venezuela12,80010,900959937
Philippines8,0207,600183239
Guatemala5,0904,430107550
Russia4,3801,6701,920785
Afghanistan4,0503,150228667

While it is helpful to know a country's total number of gun deaths, it is vital to realize that different countries reach their totals in different ways and for different reasons. For example, the overwhelming majority of gun-related deaths in Brazil are homicides, typically a symptom of the country's rampant drug trade. By comparison, nearly two out of every three gun deaths in the United States is a suicide. Meanwhile, Guatemala owns the world's highest rate of unintentional/accidental gun deaths (see full data at page bottom).

More importantly, total numbers do not indicate the overall frequency of firearm-related deaths in a given country. To achieve a more accurate representation of the true level of gun violence in a given country, the total deaths must be divided from the total population of that country. This value is typically expressed in terms of the number of deaths per 100,000 residents. It is also often age-standardized, which is a process that takes into account the relative age of a country's population when computing the frequency of deaths (for example, a younger population may have the same rate of gun attacks, but a lower rate of fatalities than an older population).

Finally, the per-100k data for countries with smaller populations can be disproportionately impacted by small variations in the number of gun deaths from one year to the next. For example, a difference of just 13 fewer deaths per year in a heavily populated country such as the United States (323.1 million people in 2016) would have practically zero impact on its per-100k rate. However, 13 fewer gun-related deaths in Greenland (56,186 people in 2016) would have resulted in the country leading the world in gun safety instead of rubbing elbows with countries that post some of the highest murder rates in the world.

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Rate of Gun Deaths (per 100k residents, 2016)

Country
Gun Deaths Rate
El Salvador39.2
Venezuela38.7
Guatemala32.3
Colombia25.9
Greenland25.9
Honduras22.5
Brazil19.4
Jamaica18.1
Puerto Rico17.1
Afghanistan14.2
Note: All data pertain to calendar year 2016. Per 100k rates are rates per 100,000 residents and are age-standarized, which can give the illusion of incongruities between categories.

Download Table Data

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Country
Gun Deaths
Gun Deaths Rate (per 100k)
Homicides
Homicide Rate (per 100k)
Suicides
Suicide Rate (per 100k)
Unintentional
Unintentional Rate (per 100k)
El Salvador2,50039.22,48038.913080.13
Venezuela12,80038.710,90032.995939372.85
Guatemala5,09032.34,4302810705503.59
Colombia13,30025.912,60024.359511600.34
Greenland1325.92311220.89
Honduras1,78022.51,71021.6510130.16
Brazil43,20019.440,60018.21,73008670.41
Jamaica53318.147316120491.66
Puerto Rico63717.157515.5390230.62
Afghanistan4,05014.23,15010.722816672.44
Belize5214.23910.330102.91
Bahamas5813.65613.11010.27
Trinidad and Tobago18312.717412.14050.36
Mexico15,40011.813,80010.584107400.59
Panama4501143010.512070.18
Paraguay71610.76028.9861280.43
Guyana7910.7689.14070.96
United States37,20010.612,400423,80069090.27
Dominican Republic1,11010.69088.69001121.12
Cape Verde5610.4457.87140.97
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines1210.3108.7011.28
Iraq3,2409.81,6904.854911,0103.14
Uruguay3579.51012.91684882.37
Ecuador1,5209.21,3808.3820570.35
Saint Lucia189.2168020.94
Lesotho1728.91185.7322211.19
Philippines8,0208.37,6007.918302390.28
Guinea Bissau1097.4553.2222332.25
Argentina3,12071,4703.31,23024080.91
South Africa3,7406.93,0505.544702370.46
Haiti7346.64343.76702332.17
Zimbabwe6326.32501.72833991.45
Nicaragua3826.13285.2260290.48
Costa Rica3075.92454.755180.16
Chad5705.52091.79912622.29
Antigua and Barbuda55.422.2033.04
Thailand3,8305.23,0004.154102860.39
Niger6915.12481.514412992.02
Montenegro365.1111.618271.02
Ivory Coast79852411.123923191.88
Guinea48052121.810611621.65
Bolivia53554133.8410810.77
Togo28351562.2581701.29
Suriname285173.16150.85
Central African Republic2114.91182.4471461.04
Cameroon9064.84762.116412661.46
Liberia1484.7671.6421391.19
Somalia3384.61752.1811811.16
Benin3784.61841.88611081.3
Papua New Guinea3154.51211.61181761.26
Barbados134.5103.71020.55
Eritrea1704.4942.1431330.94
Sao Tome and Principe74.452.7021.37
Ethiopia3,2704.32,0202.464516070.91
Zambia5124.32441.713011381.14
Solomon Islands224.381.59151.11
Mali5164.11991.310612121.54
Dominica34.133.400.55
Senegal41341160.814211561.38
Serbia3973.91061.22492410.39
Namibia843.9472241130.64
Sierra Leone1813.8540.8441831.65
Botswana813.8361.5311140.67
Mozambique7973.73901.519912080.99
Ghana8353.65181.98702301.17
South Sudan3233.61181.18611181.34
Micronesia33.521.51110.62
Comoros193.3121.65120.47
Kenya1,0903.26071.617003090.89
Albania1003.2501.644160.2
Uganda8533.14971.416701890.75
Guam53.121.33110.32
Marshall Islands23.111.4110.56
Turkey2,43031,0601.358007920.97
DR Congo1,7702.91,0401.536303710.59
Peru9252.95421.74603371.06
Georgia1242.9711.7200340.78
Djibouti232.9141.55040.6
Tanzania1,1402.87171.528001430.39
Jordan1992.81602.2140260.4
Azerbaijan2862.81191.13501321.33
Switzerland3082.8210.2279290.08
Palestine1212.8992.190130.46
Vanuatu72.810.34121.03
France2,3302.72220.31,93021720.21
Yemen6702.74011.58301860.79
Finland1862.7130.2168250.07
Mauritania852.7441.1190230.76
Gambia362.7140.891140.97
Russia4,3802.61,6701.11,92017850.46
Chile4952.63001.61580380.19
Croatia1352.6220.5106270.14
Grenada32.611.2011.26
Angola4732.52771.28501110.59
Burkina Faso2712.5440.31631640.51
Malawi2752.4840.51201720.62
Burundi1762.4200.2861700.88
Republic of the Congo922.4591.4180150.41
Samoa42.420.92010.53
Gabon352.3221.37060.4
Rwanda1952.2860.7661430.53
India26,5002.111,6000.913,40011,5400.15
Canada8932.11740.56861340.08
Madagascar3782.1960.415611270.72
Israel1692.1771771140.17
Austria2532.1130.1232170.06
Seychelles22.111.2010.59
Armenia662240.7170250.73
Sri Lanka3881.92851.4280750.36
Kazakhstan3371.91580.9820970.55
Estonia301.960.421130.17
American Samoa11.910.900.36
Nigeria2,2801.85650.350201,2200.84
Sudan6331.82300.611002930.82
Syria2921.82141.2350430.34
Portugal2481.8450.41601430.28
Slovenia511.840.245120.07
Belgium2501.7420.31881200.13
Bulgaria1421.7430.5740250.3
Latvia411.790.427160.22
Equatorial Guinea121.770.93020.32
Cyprus191.770.610020.19
Ukraine8471.63320.736001550.29
Slovakia1071.6240.4500340.51
Tonga21.610.700.42
Bermuda11.611.400.12
Pakistan2,7801.51,6500.993102000.15
Cambodia2301.51540.9350410.31
Cuba2051.5620.5670760.49
Czech Republic2091.5230.21581280.2
Belarus1691.5510.9870310.27
Norway931.570.182140.05
Lithuania511.5140.529080.24
Kyrgyzstan761.4380.6150230.44
Lebanon911.4801.25060.11
Iceland51.40.1510.05
Nepal3641.31100.42220320.16
Sweden1651.3200.2137180.06
Tajikistan1051.3490.5190370.49
Greece1661.3410.41100150.11
Libya821.3540.8130150.27
Turkmenistan781.358117020.05
Bosnia and Herzegovina591.3250.630040.07
Italy9741.22280.462101240.13
United Arab Emirates1351.2560.4430370.36
Laos721.290.1380260.41
Denmark841.280.172140.05
Timor Leste121.270.72020.21
Luxembourg91.210.27110.08
Kiribati11.210.700.29
Iran9451.16550.719101000.13
Myanmar5911.13060.515201320.28
Malaysia3211.11420.4870920.38
New Zealand551.170.145030.06
Mongolia361.180.222050.19
Malta51.120.43010.18
Algeria38211910.58001110.29
Morocco32711670.54601140.35
Saudi Arabia2741390.14801870.65
Australia2741480.22070190.06
Bhutan8120.26010.15
Germany1,2200.9950.11,00001270.09
Moldova400.9150.3150100.21
Bahrain130.980.53030.19
Tunisia930.8460.4190270.25
Andorra10.80.1100.06
Bangladesh1,1700.72630.28200910.07
Hungary910.7120.171080.06
Ireland350.780.224030.07
Brunei30.710.21010.22
Egypt5430.62700.31970770.09
Spain3300.6640.12120550.09
Uzbekistan1860.6810.2470580.22
Netherlands1260.6350.2680240.09
Fiji50.630.31010.12
Vietnam5200.51430.124601320.14
Poland2170.5590.1680890.18
North Korea1300.5360.1610340.15
Kuwait190.5140.34010.05
Indonesia8900.42640.152101050.05
South Korea2520.42701270980.15
Qatar80.440.13020.09
Mauritius60.430.22010.05
Maldives10.40.100.12
United Kingdom2480.3450.11570450.05
Taiwan870.3380.1280210.07
Romania610.3170.1180260.13
China2,9100.27570.11,24009080.08
Japan4550.249021101950.06
Oman100.230.16010.03
Singapore70.1103020.05
showing: 191 rows

Which country has the most gun violence?

Brazil has the most gun deaths with a total of 43,200. El Salvador, however, has more deaths per 100,000 people, 39.2.

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