Panama: Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Panama's intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) rose 0.37 on 2022 (from 11.34 to 11.71).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.03 and a typical year strayed about 2.27 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.97 in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.92 in 1996. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Panama had the 18th highest value of the 81 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Panama in the 2023 ranking

• Costa Rica — 14th of 81: 17.75
• Puerto Rico (US) — 15th of 81: 14.59
• Grenada — 16th of 81: 13.67
• Uruguay — 18th of 81: 11.25
• Dominican Republic — 19th of 81: 10.92
• Antigua and Barbuda — 20th of 81: 10.72

What this measures

An intentional homicide is defined as an unlawful death inflicted upon a person with the intent to cause death or serious injury.

Limitations: Statistics reported to the United Nations in the context of its various surveys on crime levels and criminal justice trends are incidents of victimization that have been reported to the authorities in any given country. That means that this data is subject to the problems of accuracy of all official crime data. The survey results provide an overview of trends and interrelationships between various parts of the criminal justice system to promote informed decision-making in administration, nationally and internationally. The degree to which different societies apportion the level of culpability to acts resulting in death is also subject to variation.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a aggregate values are computed by unodc. for additional information, please see the unodc website: https://dataunodc.un.org/sites/dataunodc.un.org/files/metadata_intentional_homicide.pdf.

All 34 values

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 10.72 (2023)
• Argentina — 4.49 (2023)
• Bahamas, The — 32.2 (2022)
• Barbados — 7.44 (2023)
• Belize — 28.06 (2022)
• Brazil — 19.28 (2023)
• Cayman Islands — 4.37 (2020)
• Chile — 6.35 (2023)
• Colombia — 24.91 (2023)
• Costa Rica — 17.75 (2023)

More public sector data for Panama

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 0 (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 0 (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 0% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 0% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 28,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.33% (2020)
• Intentional homicides, female (per 100,000 female) — 1.7 (2023)
• Intentional homicides, male (per 100,000 male) — 21.71 (2023)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 100 (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Panama's intentional homicides (per 100,000 people)?

11.71 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 3.41% from 11.32 in 1990 (0.1% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 17.33 in 2013 and the lowest 6.55 in 2006.

How does Panama rank?

18th highest of 81 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) unusual for Panama?

In 2023, Panama's intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) rose 0.37 on 2022 (from 11.34 to 11.71). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.03 and a typical year strayed about 2.27 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNODC Research - Data Portal – Intentional Homicide, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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