Colombia: crime and justice

How many homicides are there in Colombia?

14,780 homicides were recorded in Colombia in 2025, up 6.2% from 13,917 in 2024, according to preliminary figures in the December 2025 monthly bulletin of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. 13,641 of the victims were men and 1,122 women.

Homicides made up about 48% of all violent deaths in 2025. Legal Medicine classifies deaths from autopsy findings; its classification does not decide whether a crime was committed. The National Police publishes its own count from police records on its crime statistics page, which can differ.

Official sources: Legal Medicine: monthly bulletin, December 2025 · National Police: crime statistics

What is the homicide rate in Colombia?

Colombia's intentional homicide rate was 24.9 per 100,000 people in 2023, according to UNODC figures published by the World Bank.

For more recent years, the Legal Medicine monthly bulletin gives counts: 14,780 homicides in 2025, preliminary. Dividing by DANE's population projection gives a rate, but DANE's projections were updated after the pandemic, so check which population base a published rate uses.

Official sources: World Bank: intentional homicides, Colombia · Legal Medicine: monthly bulletin, December 2025

How overcrowded are Colombia's prisons?

Prisons run by INPEC held 101,322 people in September 2026 against a capacity of 80,992, according to INPEC's intramural population dataset on the national open data portal. That is an overcrowding rate of about 25%, calculated from the dataset's totals for 124 establishments.

The figures cover people held inside INPEC establishments, not those under house arrest or electronic monitoring, or detainees held in police stations. INPEC updates the dataset monthly; the October 2026 rows were being added when it was checked on 15 October 2026.

Official sources: INPEC: intramural population by establishment (Datos Abiertos)

How many people die on Colombia's roads?

8,737 people died in road transport events in Colombia in 2025, up from 8,315 in 2024, according to preliminary figures in the December 2025 monthly bulletin of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. 7,212 of the victims were men.

Road deaths were the second-largest category of violent death after homicide. Legal Medicine counts deaths that reach its forensic system, and its figures are preliminary until it closes the year.

Official sources: Legal Medicine: monthly bulletin, December 2025

How many murders are there in Colombia?

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime puts the intentional homicide rate in Colombia at 24.9 per 100,000 in 2023. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 43.0 per 100,000; its low point was 2020, at 22.6 per 100,000. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 19.1 per 100,000, and Colombia placed 9th highest of 25. Worldwide: 9th of 79.

What is the female homicide rate in Colombia?

In 2023, the homicide rate for women in Colombia was 3.4 per 100,000, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 13th highest of 25 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 3.4 per 100,000. Worldwide: 14th of 78.

What is the male homicide rate in Colombia?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the homicide rate for men in Colombia was 46.9 per 100,000 in 2023. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 79.6 per 100,000; its low point was 2020, at 42.3 per 100,000. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 33.1 per 100,000, and Colombia placed 8th highest of 25. World rank, highest first: 8th of 78.

How many people have been killed in fighting in Colombia?

In 2024, battle-related deaths in Colombia was 225, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 1,561; its low point was 2020, at 23. World rank, highest first: 21st of 41.