Murder Rate

Murder is defined as the unlawful killing of another human.

About Murder Rate

Murder, as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent or malice aforethought (see also: Crime Terminology). Most societies both present and in the past have considered murder a most serious crime worthy of the harshest of punishment and as such, a person convicted of murder is typically given a life sentence or even the death penalty for such an act.

Murder rates vary greatly around the world. In the Western world, murder rates in most countries have declined significantly during the 20th century and are now between 1-4 cases per 100,000 people annually. The rate of the United States is among the highest of developed countries, around 5.5 in 2004, with rates in larger cities sometimes over 40 per 100,000.

According to the US DOJ nearly 90% of all murders are committed by males, with males also being the victims of 74.6% of murders. People become less likely to commit a murder as they age with most murders being committed by poeple between the ages of 17 and 30. Incidents of children and adolescents committing murders are extremely rare

Murder rates are affected by the improvement of trauma care, leading to reduced lethality of violent assaults. Other factors that affect the murder rates are population age, income and even climate. Studies have found that rising temperatures can cause murder rates to rise.

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