Violence
Safety from physical violence, along with food, water, and shelter, is among the most basic human needs. Violence resulting in death not only indicates a direct loss of life but instills fear in others who see themselves as facing increased risks in their daily lives. That fear, in turn, can lead people to avoid interactions with others and prevent people from reaching their full potential.
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Murder RateNational
Trend% of countries the US outperformsIntl. Rank
Trend30%Specific Measure:
Rate of murder and other unlawful, but intentional, killings per 100,000 people.
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ShootingsNational
Trend% of countries the US outperformsIntl. Rank
Trend10%Specific Measure:
Rate of fatal and nonfatal shootings per 100,000 population. This includes murders and suicides as well as officer-involved, accidental, mass shootings and many other types.
- Mixed: the trends go in strongly opposite directions during different periods.
- Unclear: too few years of data to establish a trend.
Measures in green indicate an improving national trend or that we are outperforming at least 80% of countries.
Measures in red indicate a declining national trend or that we are outperforming less than 50% of countries.
Measures in yellow indicate stable trends or that we are outperforming 50-79% of countries.
Summary of Results
The United States has historically been one of the most violent countries in the world, and this is still true today. However, contrary to public perception, the murder rate has declined sharply since the early 1990s. This is also very likely true of shootings, because of the close connection between murder and shootings, though the shootings data do not go back to 1990. We are having mixed success in improving our international standing on these measures.
Other Measures Considered
We also considered including various types of assaults, but data accuracy was a serious concern so we did not vote on it.