Is the homicide rate falling?

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has tracked homicide, one person unlawfully killing another with intent, in a globally comparable way since 2000. In the twenty-four years since, the worldwide rate fell by close to a quarter, from just under seven deaths to just over five deaths for every 100,000 people.

The fall has not been steady. The rate ticked up in 2021, during the pandemic years, before resuming its decline. And a rate this size still means hundreds of thousands of people are killed each year, so five per 100,000 is a floor worth pushing lower, not a finish line.