The rate of civilians killed by police in the United States is far higher than in comparable developed democratic countries, with 33.5 people killed by police per 10 million residents in 2019. This compares 9.8 deaths per 10 million residents in Canada, and 8.5 in Australia - perhaps the two most comparable countries to the United States in many respects.
Country with the most prisoners
The United States is the country with the largest number of prisoners per capita. This suggests either that they have the most criminals, or that the police make more arrests and judges hand down jail as a more frequent punishment. Again, the evidence is mixed, but home invasions are less common there. New Zealand has the highest burglary rate, seeing over three times as many break-ins as in the United States, for example.
Does weapon ownership contribute to higher number of violent attacks?
Other factors may also be at play. One such factor may be gun ownership. If police shootings are more likely to happen in states with a higher number of registered weapons, one could argue that the threat of violence against police makes officers more likely to utilize deadly force. However, countries like Canada also have a high number of individual firearms licenses, indicating that this factor likely does not explain the entire effect. Social factors may also influence this statistic, such as the use of the death penalty. Still, each fatal incident is complex, and the full situation surrounding each involves many factors, meaning that a simple solution is unlikely.
Rate of civilians killed by the police annually in selected countries, as of 2019
(per 10 million residents)
* Figures are for the most recent full year of data available as of 2019. Unless noted, values are for the 2019 calendar year.
** Data is from 2017.
*** Data is from 2017-2018 (1 year of data).
**** Data is from 2018.
Additional data from the inquest.org.uk and the Norwegian Bureau for the Investigation of Police Affairs. Data from Stats NZ licensed by Stats NZ for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
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Prison Policy Initiative. (June 5, 2020). Rate of civilians killed by the police annually in selected countries, as of 2019 (per 10 million residents) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124039/police-killings-rate-selected-countries/
Prison Policy Initiative. "Rate of civilians killed by the police annually in selected countries, as of 2019 (per 10 million residents)." Chart. June 5, 2020. Statista. Accessed December 12, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124039/police-killings-rate-selected-countries/
Prison Policy Initiative. (2020). Rate of civilians killed by the police annually in selected countries, as of 2019 (per 10 million residents). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 12, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124039/police-killings-rate-selected-countries/
Prison Policy Initiative. "Rate of Civilians Killed by The Police Annually in Selected Countries, as of 2019 (per 10 Million Residents)." Statista, Statista Inc., 5 Jun 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124039/police-killings-rate-selected-countries/
Prison Policy Initiative, Rate of civilians killed by the police annually in selected countries, as of 2019 (per 10 million residents) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124039/police-killings-rate-selected-countries/ (last visited December 12, 2024)
Rate of civilians killed by the police annually in selected countries, as of 2019 (per 10 million residents) [Graph], Prison Policy Initiative, June 5, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1124039/police-killings-rate-selected-countries/