Brazil: crime and justice

What is the murder rate in Brazil?

Brazil recorded 39,946 victims of intentional homicide in 2024, a rate of 18.79 per 100,000 people, according to IBGE's Sustainable Development Goals indicator 16.1.1 (SIDRA table 6606).

The indicator follows the UN definition of intentional homicide and is compiled from national data. Different sources, such as health ministry death records and police records, use different definitions and can give different totals. The World Bank's comparable series, based on UNODC data, put the rate at 19.3 per 100,000 in 2023.

Official sources: IBGE SIDRA: SDG 16.1.1 intentional homicide (table 6606)

How many people are in prison in Brazil?

Brazil had 905,843 prisoners in 2024, of whom 214,474 (23.7%) had not yet been sentenced, according to IBGE's Sustainable Development Goals indicator 16.3.2 (SIDRA table 6600).

The indicator draws on prison data reported by the states to the National Secretariat for Penal Policy (SENAPPEN), which publishes its own SISDEPEN surveys. Pre-trial detainees are people held while awaiting a first sentence. Totals in different reports can differ depending on whether people in police cells or under other forms of custody are included.

Official sources: IBGE SIDRA: SDG 16.3.2 prisoners and pre-trial detainees (table 6600)

How many court cases are pending in Brazil?

Brazil's courts ended 2025 with 75.5 million cases pending, according to the National Council of Justice's Justiça em Números 2026 report. Of these, 16.4 million (21.7%) were suspended or provisionally archived, leaving 59 million in active progress. During 2025, 40.9 million new cases were filed and 45.2 million were closed.

The report covers all branches of the judiciary, including state, federal, labour and electoral courts. The year before, 2024, ended with 79 million pending cases. The CNJ publishes the report, its data and dashboards on its Justiça em Números page.

Official sources: CNJ: Justiça em Números 2026 (PDF) · CNJ: Justiça em Números

Do Brazilians feel safe in their neighbourhood?

71.2% of people aged 15 and over said they felt safe walking alone around their neighbourhood in 2021, according to IBGE's Sustainable Development Goals indicator 16.1.4 (SIDRA table 10432). That is about 115.8 million people.

The figure comes from a victimisation module of IBGE's household survey and reflects how safe people feel, not how many crimes occur. It is the latest year shown in the table. Perceptions of safety vary with age, sex, region and time of day, which the survey also breaks down.

Official sources: IBGE SIDRA: SDG 16.1.4 feeling safe (table 10432)

Do robbery victims in Brazil report it to the police?

71.4% of robbery victims in Brazil said they went to the police or municipal guard in 2021, out of about 423,000 victims counted in the survey, according to IBGE's Sustainable Development Goals indicator 16.3.1 (SIDRA table 9644).

Victim surveys capture crimes that are never recorded by the police, so they are a check on police statistics. The remaining victims did not report the robbery, and those cases would not appear in recorded crime figures. The data come from a supplement to IBGE's household survey, and 2021 is the latest year in the table.

Official sources: IBGE SIDRA: SDG 16.3.1 robbery victims who reported (table 9644)

What is the murder rate in Brazil?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the intentional homicide rate in Brazil was 19.3 per 100,000 in 2023. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 12th highest of 25 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 19.1 per 100,000. Worldwide: 12th of 79.

What is the female homicide rate in Brazil?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the homicide rate for women in Brazil was 3.9 per 100,000 in 2023. Its high point since 2005 was 2014, at 4.8 per 100,000; its low point was 2019, at 3.5 per 100,000. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 3.4 per 100,000, and Brazil placed 12th highest of 25. Worldwide: 13th of 78.

How many men are killed in Brazil?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the homicide rate for men in Brazil was 34.7 per 100,000 in 2023. No year since 2005 has been lower. Latin America & Caribbean median: 33.1 per 100,000; Brazil is 12th highest of 25. Of 78 countries with 2023 data, 12th highest.