Homicide Rate in Bangladesh: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

Statistics of violence are, at their core, stories of individual existence. Behind every rate per 100,000 lies the profound silence of a life cut short and the enduring ripple of loss felt by families and communities. While these figures represent the cold accumulation of data, they function as a mirror reflecting the social stability and safety of a society across time. By tracking these intentional homicides, we gain insight into the slow, incremental shifts in the security of human life within the borders of Bangladesh.

The arc of this data reveals a long-term downward trajectory across three centuries. Starting from an 1800s estimate 5.34, the homicide rate experienced a steady, consistent decline. By 1900 it was 4.25 per 100,000, continuing to drop through the mid-century milestones of 1950s 3.64 and 1980s 3.07. In the 2020s, homicide rate in Bangladesh stands at 2.4 per 100,000 — ranking #68 of 157 countries. Projections suggest this trend will hold, with the 2090s projection 1.68 and the 2100s projection 1.59 indicating a future of relative stabilization.

For anyone born in Bangladesh, the era of one’s birth fundamentally dictates the statistical probability of meeting a violent end. A person living in the 1820s estimate 5.12 faced a markedly different safety landscape than a contemporary citizen living in the 2020s. As projections for the 2030s projection 2.28 and beyond suggest further decreases, the longitudinal view confirms that the vulnerability of the individual has shifted significantly over these two hundred years. You can use these trends to compute your own parallel lives among the millions who came before.