In 2021, the state of Bahia reported the largest number of homicides in Brazil. That year, 7,206 homicides were recorded in this northeastern state. Bahia was followed by the state of Rio de Janeiro, with 4,693 murders reported. Despite that, the number of homicides in Brazil reached the lowest figure that year since at least 2006, totaling 41,160.
Homicide targets
Data shows that homicides affected men disproportionally more than women in this South American country. Considering the over 45,503 homicides registered in Brazil in 2019, nearly 92 percent had men as victims. Again, it is important to remember the deterioration of data quality, specially in the case of femicides: there was a woman victim of violent death with no clear cause for every woman victim of homicide in Brazil. In that regard, the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul had the highest femicide rates. At least three of every 100,000 women who lived in those territories were murdered on account of their gender in 2020. Not only women, but the number of black and brown people murdered in Brazil had been growing throughout the years up until 2017, revealing that minorities are increasingly becoming the targets of violence. In 2019, nearly 34,500 people of color were killed in Brazil, over three times the number of non-black or non-brown people.
Police Violence
Police brutality has been gaining attention from the media, especially after George Floyd violent death in 2020. In Brazil, police violence, particularly in poor areas, such as favelas, is an old and well-known problem that affects society as a whole. Figures have shown that the number of civilians killed by police officers in Brazil surpassed 5,600 in both 2019 and 2020. Coincidentally, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, the Brazilian states with the highest number of homicides, are also the ones with the highest number of people killed by the police. In Rio, the state that has the highest figure, people of color were the main victims of deadly police interventions. People with various shades of brown skin in this state accounted for nearly half of these deaths, while over a fourth of the victims were black people.
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Ipea. (December 1, 2023). Number of homicides in Brazil in 2021, by state [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/869714/number-homicides-brazil-state/
Ipea. "Number of homicides in Brazil in 2021, by state." Chart. December 1, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/869714/number-homicides-brazil-state/
Ipea. (2023). Number of homicides in Brazil in 2021, by state. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/869714/number-homicides-brazil-state/
Ipea. "Number of Homicides in Brazil in 2021, by State." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Dec 2023, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/869714/number-homicides-brazil-state/
Ipea, Number of homicides in Brazil in 2021, by state Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/869714/number-homicides-brazil-state/ (last visited September 20, 2024)
Number of homicides in Brazil in 2021, by state [Graph], Ipea, December 1, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/869714/number-homicides-brazil-state/