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Gun ownership
Status of owning a firearm
Status of owning a firearm
In 2018, the Small Arms Survey reported that there are over one billion small arms distributed globally, of which 857 million (about 85 percent) are in civilian hands. The survey stated that USA civilians account for an estimated 393 million (about 46 percent) of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms, or about 120.5 firearms for every 100 American residents.
From 1994 to 2023, gun ownership increased 28% in America. In 2023, about 16.7 million firearms were sold in the U.S. In the first four months of 2024, nearly 5.5 million firearms were sold, averaging around 1.3 million per month. About 72% of American gun owners say they own a gun primarily for protection.
The world's armed forces control about 133 million (approximately 13 percent) of the global total of small arms, of which over 43 percent belong to two countries: Russia (30.3 million) and China (27.5 million). Law enforcement agencies control about 23 million (about 2 percent) of the global total of small arms. Gun ownership is a protected right in countries such as the United States and Yemen.
Global distribution of civilian-held firearms
The following data comes from the Small Arms Survey. For more tables see: Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country and Percent of households with guns by country.
| Countries and territories | Firearms in civilian possession | Population 2017 | Civilian firearms per 100 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 4,270,000 | 34,169,000 | 12.5 |
| Albania | 350,000 | 2,911,000 | 12.0 |
| Algeria | 877,000 | 41,064,000 | 2.1 |
| American Samoa (United States) | 400 | 56,000 | 0.7 |
| Andorra | 10,000 | 69,000 | 14.1 |
| Angola | 2,982,000 | 26,656,000 | 11.2 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 5,000 | 94,000 | 5.4 |
| Argentina | 3,256,000 | 44,272,000 | 7.4 |
| Armenia | 186,000 | 3,032,000 | 6.1 |
| Aruba (Netherlands) | 3,000 | 105,000 | 2.6 |
| Australia | 3,573,000 | 24,642,000 | 14.5 |
| Austria | 2,577,000 | 8,592,000 | 30.0 |
| Azerbaijan | 362,000 | 9,974,000 | 3.6 |
| Bahamas | 74,000 | 397,000 | 18.8 |
| Bahrain | 181,000 | 1,419,000 | 12.8 |
| Bangladesh | 659,000 | 164,828,000 | 0.4 |
| Barbados | 10,000 | 286,000 | 3.5 |
| Belarus | 581,000 | 9,459,000 | 6.1 |
| Belgium | 1,451,000 | 11,444,000 | 12.7 |
| Belize | 37,000 | 375,000 | 10.0 |
| Benin | 33,000 | 11,459,000 | 0.3 |
| Bermuda (United Kingdom) | 3,000 | 61,000 | 4.6 |
| Bhutan | 6,000 | 793,000 | 0.8 |
| Bolivia | 218,000 | 11,053,000 | 2.0 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,185,000 | 3,793,000 | 31.2 |
| Botswana | 97,000 | 2,344,000 | 4.1 |
| Brazil | 17,510,000 | 211,243,000 | 8.3 |
| Brunei | 6,000 | 434,000 | 1.4 |
| Bulgaria | 590,000 | 7,045,000 | 8.4 |
| Burkina Faso | 175,000 | 19,173,000 | 0.9 |
| Burundi | 238,000 | 11,936,000 | 2.0 |
| Cambodia | 717,000 | 16,076,000 | 4.5 |
| Cameroon | 510,000 | 24,514,000 | 2.1 |
| Canada | 12,708,000 | 36,626,000 | 34.7 |
| Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) | 31,000 | 533,000 | 5.7 |
| Cayman Islands (United Kingdom) | 6,000 | 62,000 | 9.2 |
| Central African Republic | 94,000 | 5,099,000 | 1.8 |
| Chad | 151,000 | 14,965,000 | 1.0 |
| Channel Islands | 23,000 | 165,000 | 14.0 |
| Chile | 2,220,000 | 18,313,000 | 12.1 |
| China | 49,735,000 | 1,388,233,000 | 3.6 |
| Christmas Island | 0 | 2,000 | 0.0 |
| Colombia | 4,971,000 | 49,068,000 | 10.1 |
| Comoros | 12,000 | 826,000 | 1.5 |
| Costa Rica | 493,000 | 4,906,000 | 10.0 |
| Croatia | 576,000 | 4,210,000 | 13.7 |
| Cuba | 234,000 | 11,390,000 | 2.1 |
| Curaçao | 4,000 | 160,000 | 2.6 |
| Cyprus | 285,000 | 839,000 | 34.0 |
| Czech Republic | 1,323,000 | 10,555,000 | 12.5 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 946,000 | 82,243,000 | 1.2 |
| Denmark | 567,000 | 5,712,000 | 9.9 |
| Djibouti | 28,000 | 911,000 | 3.1 |
| Dominica | 5,000 | 73,000 | 6.2 |
| Dominican Republic | 795,000 | 10,767,000 | 7.4 |
| Ecuador | 402,000 | 16,626,000 | 2.4 |
| Egypt | 3,931,000 | 95,215,000 | 4.1 |
| El Salvador | 737,000 | 6,167,000 | 12.0 |
| England and Wales | 2,731,000 | 58,877,000 | 4.6 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 112,000 | 894,000 | 12.5 |
| Eritrea | 23,000 | 5,482,000 | 0.4 |
| Estonia | 65,000 | 1,306,000 | 5.0 |
| Ethiopia | 377,000 | 104,345,000 | 0.4 |
| Falkland Islands (United Kingdom) | 2,000 | 3,000 | 66.7 |
| Faroe Islands (Denmark) | 5,000 | 49,000 | 9.9 |
| Fiji | 5,000 | 903,000 | 0.5 |
| Finland | 1,793,000 | 5,541,000 | 32.4 |
| France | 12,732,000 | 64,939,000 | 19.6 |
| French Guiana (France) | 55,000 | 283,000 | 19.6 |
| French Polynesia (France) | 7,000 | 289,000 | 2.5 |
| Gabon | 61,000 | 1,801,000 | 3.4 |
| Gambia | 137,000 | 2,120,000 | 6.5 |
| Georgia | 402,000 | 3,973,000 | 10.1 |
| Germany | 15,822,000 | 80,636,000 | 19.6 |
| Ghana | 2,280,000 | 28,657,000 | 8.0 |
| Gibraltar (United Kingdom) | 1,000 | 32,000 | 4.1 |
| Greece | 1,920,000 | 10,893,000 | 17.6 |
| Greenland (Denmark) | 13,000 | 56,000 | 22.3 |
| Grenada | 5,000 | 108,000 | 4.6 |
| Guadeloupe (France) | 40,000 | 472,000 | 8.5 |
| Guam (United States) | 20,000 | 174,000 | 11.5 |
| Guatemala | 2,062,000 | 17,005,000 | 12.1 |
| Guinea | 130,000 | 13,291,000 | 1.0 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 29,000 | 1,933,000 | 1.5 |
| Guyana | 122,000 | 774,000 | 15.8 |
| Haiti | 291,000 | 10,983,000 | 2.6 |
| Holy See | 0 | 1,000 | 0.0 |
| Honduras | 1,171,000 | 8,305,000 | 14.1 |
| Hong Kong (China) | 265,000 | 7,402,000 | 3.6 |
| Hungary | 1,023,000 | 9,788,000 | 10.5 |
| Iceland | 106,000 | 334,000 | 31.7 |
| India | 71,101,000 | 1,342,513,000 | 5.3 |
| Indonesia | 82,000 | 263,510,000 | 0.03 |
| Iran | 5,890,000 | 80,946,000 | 7.3 |
| Iraq | 7,588,000 | 38,654,000 | 19.6 |
| Ireland | 342,000 | 4,749,000 | 7.2 |
| Israel | 557,000 | 8,323,000 | 6.7 |
| Italy | 8,609,000 | 59,798,000 | 14.4 |
| Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) | 1,049,000 | 23,816,000 | 4.4 |
| Jamaica | 246,000 | 2,813,000 | 8.8 |
| Japan | 377,000 | 126,045,000 | 0.3 |
| Jordan | 1,473,000 | 7,877,000 | 18.7 |
| Kazakhstan | 504,000 | 18,064,000 | 2.8 |
| Kenya | 750,000 | 48,467,000 | 1.5 |
| Kiribati | 900 | 116,000 | 0.8 |
| Kosovo | 436,000 | 1,831,000 | 23.8 |
| Kuwait | 685,000 | 4,100,000 | 16.7 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 171,000 | 6,125,000 | 2.8 |
| Laos | 215,000 | 7,038,000 | 3.0 |
| Latvia | 205,000 | 1,945,000 | 10.5 |
| Lebanon | 1,927,000 | 6,039,000 | 31.9 |
| Lesotho | 105,000 | 2,185,000 | 4.8 |
| Liberia | 97,000 | 4,730,000 | 2.1 |
| Libya | 851,000 | 6,409,000 | 13.3 |
| Liechtenstein | 11,000 | 38,000 | 28.8 |
| Lithuania | 385,000 | 2,831,000 | 13.6 |
| Luxembourg | 110,000 | 584,000 | 18.9 |
| Macao (China) | 22,000 | 606,000 | 3.6 |
| Madagascar | 168,000 | 25,613,000 | 0.7 |
| Malawi | 47,000 | 18,299,000 | 0.3 |
| Malaysia | 217,000 | 31,164,000 | 0.7 |
| Maldives | 23,000 | 376,000 | 6.2 |
| Mali | 206,000 | 18,690,000 | 1.1 |
| Malta | 119,000 | 421,000 | 28.3 |
| Marshall Islands | 300 | 53,000 | 0.5 |
| Martinique (France) | 34,000 | 396,000 | 8.5 |
| Mauritania | 120,000 | 4,266,000 | 2.8 |
| Mauritius | 106,000 | 1,281,000 | 8.3 |
| Mexico | 16,809,000 | 130,223,000 | 12.9 |
| Federated States of Micronesia | 700 | 106,000 | 0.7 |
| Moldova | 121,000 | 4,055,000 | 3.0 |
| Monaco | 7,000 | 38,000 | 18.4 |
| Mongolia | 242,000 | 3,052,000 | 7.9 |
| Montenegro | 245,000 | 626,000 | 39.1 |
| Montserrat (United Kingdom) | 300 | 5,000 | 5.4 |
| Morocco | 1,690,000 | 35,241,000 | 4.8 |
| Mozambique | 1,337,000 | 29,538,000 | 4.5 |
| Myanmar | 877,000 | 54,836,000 | 1.6 |
| Namibia | 396,000 | 2,569,000 | 15.4 |
| Nauru | 0 | 10,000 | 0.0 |
| Nepal | 444,000 | 29,187,000 | 1.5 |
| Netherlands | 442,000 | 17,033,000 | 2.6 |
| New Caledonia (France) | 115,000 | 270,000 | 42.5 |
| New Zealand | 1,212,000 | 4,605,000 | 26.3 |
| Nicaragua | 323,000 | 6,218,000 | 5.2 |
| Niger | 117,000 | 21,564,000 | 0.5 |
| Nigeria | 6,154,000 | 191,836,000 | 3.2 |
| Northern Ireland | 206,000 | 1,873,000 | 11.0 |
| Northern Mariana Islands (United States) | 1,000 | 56,000 | 2.6 |
| North Korea | 76,000 | 25,405,000 | 0.3 |
| Norway | 1,537,000 | 5,331,000 | 28.8 |
| Oman | 792,000 | 4,741,000 | 16.7 |
| Pakistan | 43,917,000 | 196,744,000 | 22.3 |
| Palau | 100 | 22,000 | 0.5 |
| Palestinian Territories | 56,000 | 4,952,000 | 1.1 |
| Panama | 436,000 | 4,051,000 | 10.8 |
| Papua New Guinea | 79,000 | 7,934,000 | 1.0 |
| Paraguay | 1,140,000 | 6,812,000 | 16.7 |
| Peru | 633,000 | 32,166,000 | 2.0 |
| Philippines | 3,776,000 | 103,797,000 | 3.6 |
| Poland | 968,000 | 38,564,000 | 2.5 |
| Portugal | 2,186,000 | 10,265,000 | 21.3 |
| Puerto Rico (United States) | 422,000 | 3,679,000 | 11.5 |
| Puntland | 246,000 | 1,995,000 | 12.3 |
| Qatar | 390,000 | 2,338,000 | 16.7 |
| Republic of Congo | 119,000 | 4,866,000 | 2.4 |
| Réunion (France) | 171,000 | 873,000 | 19.6 |
| Romania | 506,000 | 19,238,000 | 2.6 |
| Russian Federation | 17,620,000 | 143,375,000 | 12.3 |
| Rwanda | 66,000 | 12,160,000 | 0.5 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2,000 | 57,000 | 3.4 |
| Saint Lucia | 6,000 | 188,000 | 3.4 |
| Saint Martin (France) | 3,000 | 32,000 | 8.5 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 4,000 | 110,000 | 3.4 |
| Samoa | 20,000 | 196,000 | 10.1 |
| San Marino | 5,000 | 32,000 | 15.6 |
| São Tomé and Principe | 7,000 | 198,000 | 3.4 |
| Saudi Arabia | 12,564,000 | 32,743,000 | 53.7 |
| Scotland | 305,000 | 5,436,000 | 5.6 |
| Senegal | 323,000 | 16,054,000 | 2.0 |
| Serbia | 2,719,000 | 6,946,000 | 39.1 |
| Seychelles | 4,000 | 98,000 | 4.1 |
| Sierra Leone | 35,000 | 6,733,000 | 0.5 |
| Singapore | 20,000 | 5,785,000 | 0.3 |
| Sint Maarten (Netherlands) | 2,000 | 40,000 | 4.2 |
| Slovakia | 355,000 | 5,432,000 | 6.5 |
| Slovenia | 324,000 | 2,071,000 | 15.6 |
| Solomon Islands | 1,000 | 606,000 | 0.2 |
| Somalia | 1,145,000 | 9,225,000 | 12.4 |
| Somaliland | 456,000 | 3,823,000 | 11.9 |
| South Africa | 5,351,000 | 55,436,000 | 9.7 |
| South Korea | 79,000 | 50,705,000 | 0.2 |
| South Sudan | 1,255,000 | 13,096,000 | 9.6 |
| Spain | 3,464,000 | 46,070,000 | 7.5 |
| Sri Lanka | 494,000 | 20,905,000 | 2.4 |
| Sudan | 2,768,000 | 42,166,000 | 6.6 |
| Suriname | 88,000 | 552,000 | 15.9 |
| Swaziland | 64,000 | 1,320,000 | 4.8 |
| Sweden | 2,296,000 | 9,921,000 | 23.1 |
| Switzerland | 2,332,000 | 8,454,000 | 27.6 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 1,547,000 | 18,907,000 | 8.2 |
| Taiwan | 10,000 | 23,405,000 | 0.04 |
| Tajikistan | 37,000 | 8,858,000 | 0.4 |
| Tanzania | 427,000 | 56,878,000 | 0.8 |
| Thailand | 10,342,000 | 68,298,000 | 15.1 |
| Timor-Leste | 3,000 | 1,237,000 | 0.3 |
| Togo | 58,000 | 7,692,000 | 0.8 |
| Tonga | 9,000 | 108,000 | 8.0 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 43,000 | 1,369,000 | 3.2 |
| Tunisia | 123,000 | 11,495,000 | 1.1 |
| Turkey | 13,249,000 | 80,418,000 | 16.5 |
| Turkmenistan | 23,000 | 5,503,000 | 0.4 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom) | 1,000 | 35,000 | 3.3 |
| Tuvalu | 100 | 10,000 | 1.2 |
| Uganda | 331,000 | 41,653,000 | 0.8 |
| Ukraine | 4,396,000 | 44,405,000 | 9.9 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1,569,000 | 9,398,000 | 16.7 |
| United States | 393,347,000 | 326,474,000 | 120.5 |
| Uruguay | 1,198,000 | 3,457,000 | 34.7 |
| Uzbekistan | 127,000 | 30,691,000 | 0.4 |
| Vanuatu | 11,000 | 276,000 | 3.9 |
| Venezuela | 5,895,000 | 31,926,000 | 18.5 |
| Vietnam | 1,562,000 | 95,415,000 | 1.6 |
| British Virgin Islands | 300 | 31,000 | 0.8 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 18,000 | 107,000 | 16.6 |
| Yemen | 14,859,000 | 28,120,000 | 52.8 |
| Zambia | 158,000 | 17,238,000 | 0.9 |
| Zimbabwe | 455,000 | 16,338,000 | 2.8 |
Association with rates of violence in times of peace
American studies suggest that higher rates of gun ownership are associated with higher homicide rates, although Gary Kleck argues that the highest-quality studies show that gun ownership does not increase homicide rates. Higher rates of gun ownership are also associated with higher suicide rates and higher accidental gun death rates. The availability of illegal guns, but not that of legal guns, is associated with higher rates of violent crime.
An international study by UNICRI researchers from 2001 examined the link between household gun ownership and overall homicide, overall suicide, as well as gun homicide and gun suicide rates amongst 21 countries. Significant correlations between household gun ownership and rates of gun suicides for both genders, and gun homicide rates involving female victims were found. There were no significant correlations detected for total homicide and suicide rates, as well as gun homicide rates involving male victims, gun homicides when including both genders, or overall female homicide rates. This study has been criticized for combining high-income countries (like the United States) with middle-income countries (like Estonia); if middle-income countries are excluded from the analysis, a strong relationship emerges between gun ownership and homicide. However the Hemenway study has been criticized in response as well. When removing the United States as an outlier and using the superior proxy of gun ownership in the study (percentage of firearm suicides over all suicides), the relationship ceases to be significant. The association between gun ownership and homicide rates across nations is dependent on the inclusion of the U.S. Studies in Canada that examined the levels of gun ownership by province have found no correlations with provincial overall suicide rates. A 2011 study conducted looking at the effects of gun control legislation passed in Canada and the associated effects in homicide rates found no significant reductions in homicide rates as a result of legislation. A case-control study conducted in New Zealand looking at household gun ownership and the risk of suicides found no significant associations.
Maps
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References
References
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180619120414/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/de/about-us/highlights/2018/highlight-bp-firearms-holdings.html smallarmssurvey.org] Small Arms Survey reveals: More than one billion firearms in the world
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180620231909/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf smallarmssurvey.org] Estimating Global CivilianHELD Firearms Numbers. Aaron Karp. June 2018
- "How Many Gun Owners Are In America? 2023 - 2024 Statistics".
- Haroun, Brennan Weiss, James Pasley, Azmi. "Only 3 countries in the world protect the right to bear arms in their constitutions: the US, Mexico, and Guatemala".
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180620231909/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf smallarmssurvey.org] June 2018, Estimating Global Civilian Held Firearms Numbers by Aaron Karp
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180629102233/http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/Weapons_and_Markets/Tools/Firearms_holdings/SAS-BP-Civilian-held-firearms-annexe.pdf Civilian Firearms Holdings, 2017]. smallarmssurvey.org. Archived on 29 June 2018.
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- (December 31, 2023). "Gun Violence by the Numbers in 2023". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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- (September 2001). "Armed Americans: The impact of firearm availability on national homicide rates". [[Justice Quarterly]].
- (February 2007). "State-level homicide victimization rates in the US in relation to survey measures of household firearm ownership, 2001–2003". Social Science & Medicine.
- (January 2015). "The Impact of Gun Ownership Rates on Crime Rates: A Methodological Review of the Evidence". Journal of Criminal Justice.
- (13 March 2017). "The Association Between Gun Ownership and Statewide Overall Suicide Rates.". [[Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior]].
- (2016). "Relationships between firearm availability and suicide: The role of psychology.". [[Professional Psychology: Research and Practice]].
- (February 2002). "Firearm availability and unintentional firearm deaths, suicide, and homicide among 5-14 year olds.". The Journal of Trauma.
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- (1 June 2000). "Gun Availability and Violent Crime: New Evidence from the National Incident-Based Reporting System". [[Social Forces]].
- https://pure.uvt.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/5263789/GunsKilliasvKesteren.pdf {{Bare URL PDF. (March 2022)
- Hemenway, David. (June 2009). "Don B. Kates and Gary Mauser. "Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A Review of International and Some Domestic Evidence" Harvard Journal of Law and Policy".
- (2004). "Measures of Gun Ownership Levels for Macro-Level Crime and Violence Research". Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.
- (10 March 1999). "Firearms, Accidental Deaths, Suicides and Violent Crime: An Updated Review of the Literature with Special Reference to the Canadian Situation".
- (2012). "Canadian Firearms Legislation and Effects on Homicide 1974 to 2008". Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
- (1996). "Access to Firearms and the Risk of Suicide: A Case Control Study". Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry.
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- "Gun Ownership in America". [[RAND Corporation]].
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