Homicide Rate
Definition
The number of unlawful killings per 100,000 population per year. Used as the primary cross-national indicator of violent crime because it is measured more consistently than other violence categories. Includes murder, manslaughter, and similar offences depending on jurisdiction.
- Unit
- Killings per 100,000 population per year
- Use
- Primary cross-national violence indicator
- Scope
- Murder, manslaughter, similar offences by jurisdiction
- Reliability factor
- More consistently measured than other violence categories
Common questions
Why is homicide rate preferred over other crime statistics for international comparison?+
A body is difficult to conceal and homicide is more consistently reported and recorded across countries than crimes like assault or sexual violence, which suffer from wide variation in reporting and definitional practices.
What limits comparing homicide rates directly across countries?+
Legal definitions of what counts as homicide differ, some jurisdictions include or exclude justifiable killings and attempted murders resulting in death differently, and data quality still varies with a country's record-keeping capacity.
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