This graphic, via Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti, shows the homicide rates for the U.S., UK, and Europe, based on data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, CNN, and Our World in Data.
The European dataset includes 47 countries and territories as classified by the United Nations, including the UK. Note that data for some places may be unavailable for certain years.
Europe’s Homicide Rate Has Fallen Dramatically
While the United States has lower homicide rates than most developing and undeveloped countries globally, it still has a higher homicide rate than Europe as a whole.
The overall homicide rate in Europe dropped from 7.8 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 2.4 per 100,000 people in 2020. Meanwhile, the U.S. rate rose from 5.5 to 6.4.
| Homicides per 100k | Europe | UK | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.8 | 1.6 | 5.5 |
| 2001 | 8.1 | 1.6 | 6.7 |
| 2002 | 8.2 | 1.9 | 5.6 |
| 2003 | 7.7 | 1.6 | 5.7 |
| 2004 | 7.2 | 1.6 | 5.7 |
| 2005 | 6.5 | 1.4 | 5.8 |
| 2006 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 5.8 |
| 2007 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 5.7 |
| 2008 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 5.4 |
| 2009 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 5 |
| 2010 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 4.7 |
| 2011 | 3.4 | 1 | 4.7 |
| 2012 | 3.4 | 1 | 4.7 |
| 2013 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 4.5 |
| 2014 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 4.4 |
| 2015 | 3.5 | 1 | 4.9 |
| 2016 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 5.3 |
| 2017 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 5.2 |
| 2018 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 4.9 |
| 2019 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 5 |
| 2020 | 2.4 | 1 | 6.4 |
Worldwide, the U.S. ranks 57th in intentional homicide counts and victims per 100,000 inhabitants. France ranks 132nd, Germany 167th, and the United Kingdom 142nd. The UK homicide rate is less than half of the overall rate across Europe and about one-sixth of the rate in the United States.
According to the Council on Criminal Justice, people aged 15 to 19 years old were three times more likely to die by homicide in the U.S. in 2020-2021 than in 1960. Additionally, black males were eight times more likely, and black females were four times more likely to die by homicide in 2020-2021 than their white counterparts.
Since 2020, more than three-quarters of homicides in the U.S. have been committed with guns.
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