Public mass shootings are not a strictly American phenomenon, though the United States is home to a disproportionate number of these tragic events. This factsheet shares information about where and how often these events occur across the globe, the victims of these shootings, and details about the shootings and their perpetrators.
For the purposes of this factsheet, a mass shooting refers to an incident involving at least four victims killed (excluding the offender) within a 24-hour period. These incidents occurred in a public or populated location, with the majority of victims targeted at random and/or for their symbolic value.
More details about this definition and the methodology underlying this factsheet can be found in the Background & Methods section below.
| Country | # of Incidents |
|---|---|
| Russia | 24 |
| France | 8 |
| Germany | 6 |
| Serbia | 6 |
| Canada | 4 |
| Israel | 5 |
| Turkey | 4 |
| … | see below |
| Average Age | 33 years |
| Median Age | 30 years |
Perpetrators are all male and tend to operate alone (95% of the time).
56% • Rifle
46% • Handgun
27% • Shotgun
The map below shows where mass shootings have happened across the globe. The data are restricted to countries classified by the United Nations (2025) as having a “very high” Human Development Index (HDI) score, allowing for comparisons across countries with broadly similar levels of educational access, life expectancy, and socioeconomic development. See our Background & Methods section for more information.
| Country | Continent | Subregion | Incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russia | Europe | Eastern Europe | 24 |
| France | Europe | Western Europe | 8 |
| Germany | Europe | Western Europe | 6 |
| Serbia | Europe | Southern Europe | 6 |
| Israel | Asia | Western Asia | 5 |
| Canada | Americas | North America | 4 |
| Turkey | Asia | Western Asia | 4 |
| Austria | Europe | Western Europe | 3 |
| Czech Republic | Europe | Central Europe | 3 |
| Finland | Europe | Northern Europe | 3 |
| Italy | Europe | Southern Europe | 3 |
| South Korea | Asia | East Asia | 3 |
| Armenia | Asia | Western Asia | 2 |
| Australia | Oceania | Australasia | 2 |
| Georgia | Asia | Western Asia | 2 |
| Kazakhstan | Asia | Central Asia | 2 |
| Montenegro | Europe | Southern Europe | 2 |
| Netherlands | Europe | Western Europe | 2 |
| Spain | Europe | Southern Europe | 2 |
| Switzerland | Europe | Western Europe | 2 |
| United Kingdom | Europe | Western Europe | 2 |
| Albania | Europe | Southern Europe | 1 |
| Belgium | Europe | Western Europe | 1 |
| Croatia | Europe | Southern Europe | 1 |
| Malaysia | Asia | South-East Asia | 1 |
| New Zealand | Oceania | Australasia | 1 |
| Norway | Europe | Northern Europe | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | Asia | Western Asia | 1 |
| Slovakia | Europe | Central Europe | 1 |
| Sweden | Europe | Northern Europe | 1 |
| Andorra | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Americas | Caribbean | 0 |
| Argentina | Americas | South America | 0 |
| Bahamas | Americas | Caribbean | 0 |
| Bahrain | Asia | Western Asia | 0 |
| Barbados | Americas | Caribbean | 0 |
| Belarus | Europe | Eastern Europe | 0 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Brunei | Asia | South-East Asia | 0 |
| Bulgaria | Europe | Eastern Europe | 0 |
| Chile | Americas | South America | 0 |
| Costa Rica | Americas | Central America | 0 |
| Cyprus | Asia | Eastern Europe | 0 |
| Denmark | Europe | Northern Europe | 0 |
| Estonia | Europe | Northern Europe | 0 |
| Greece | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Hong Kong | Asia | East Asia | 0 |
| Hungary | Europe | Eastern Europe | 0 |
| Iceland | Europe | Northern Europe | 0 |
| Ireland | Europe | Western Europe | 0 |
| Japan | Asia | East Asia | 0 |
| Kuwait | Asia | Western Asia | 0 |
| Latvia | Europe | Northern Europe | 0 |
| Liechtenstein | Europe | Western Europe | 0 |
| Lithuania | Europe | Northern Europe | 0 |
| Luxembourg | Europe | Western Europe | 0 |
| Malta | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Mauritius | Africa | East Africa | 0 |
| North Macedonia | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Oman | Asia | Western Asia | 0 |
| Panama | Americas | Central America | 0 |
| Poland | Europe | Central Europe | 0 |
| Portugal | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Qatar | Asia | Western Asia | 0 |
| Romania | Europe | Eastern Europe | 0 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Americas | Caribbean | 0 |
| San Marino | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Seychelles | Africa | East Africa | 0 |
| Singapore | Asia | South-East Asia | 0 |
| Slovenia | Europe | Southern Europe | 0 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Americas | Caribbean | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates | Asia | Western Asia | 0 |
| Uruguay | Americas | South America | 0 |
Between 2000 and 2025, there were 99 mass shootings across 73 “very high” HDI countries outside the United States. During the same period, however, the United States alone experienced 121 mass shootings.
The 99 mass shootings across 73 countries claimed the lives of 804 people and left 665 wounded by gunfire. By comparison, 121 US mass shootings claimed 943 lives and left 1,095 people wounded. Despite the greater number of casualties in the United States, the average number of fatalities per incident was relatively similar across groups (8.1 vs. 8.0). However, US incidents resulted in a higher average number of people wounded by gunfire (9.1 vs. 6.7)
The firearms used in mass shootings also differed across contexts. Outside the United States, incidents more commonly involved at least one rifle (56 percent) and, to a lesser extent, at least one shotgun (27 percent). In contrast, US mass shootings more frequently involved multiple firearms (57 percent) and at least one handgun (73 percent)
121
99
943
804
1,095
665
2,038
1,469
This dataset is maintained by Jason R. Silva, a member of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium and an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Work at William Paterson University.
You can cite this dashboard:
Silva, J. R. (2026). Global Mass Shooting
Factsheet. Regional Gun Violence Research
Consortium,
Rockefeller Institute of Government.
Additional Reading:
This global mass shooting data includes completed, public mass shootings. A completed mass shooting refers to an incident involving at least four victims killed (excluding the offender) within a 24-hour period. A public mass shooting refers to an incident occurring in a public or populated location, with the majority of victims targeted at random and/or for their symbolic value. Public mass shootings exclude family-related shootings, felony-related shootings, and incidents involving state-sponsored violence, battles over sovereignty, or organized terrorism. While these forms of violence are equally tragic, they represent distinct categories of lethal violence with different motivations, dynamics, and prevention implications.
Using the definitional criteria outlined above, Silva created the Global Mass Shooting Database (GMSDB), a systematic database designed to capture completed, public mass shootings worldwide. This factsheet draws from the GMSDB and includes information on mass shooting incidents across 73 countries. This includes all countries (excluding the United States) classified by the United Nations as having a “very high” Human Development Index score, facilitating comparisons among nations with broadly similar levels of educational access, life expectancy, and socioeconomic development.
These countries include Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
