Rodríguez Gázquez, María de los Ángeles2012-04-302012-04-3020051794-4449http://hdl.handle.net/10567/222Introduction: Colombia has the sad reputation of being one of the most violent countries in the world, and this situation is harder due to an armed conflict that has lasted more than five decades and that has put our country in the group of very few countries with such long conflicts. Objective: To evaluate the evolution of the homicide rates in the 1985-2001 period, according to the sex, age group and position variables, in the first death causes. Materials and methods: A descriptive study of death by homicide that uses as main source the death registrations of intentional injuries made by other persons (ICD-9: E960-E968, ICD -10: X85-Y09). Results: In the 1985- 2001 period, 402375 deaths by homicide were registered in Colombia. The risk of dying by homicide showed an ascendant lineal trend. This risk was bigger among the male population and in the age group between 15-45 years. From 1987 homicide was the first death cause in all of the population. Conclusion: Colombia shows high homicide rates, in fact higher than those showed worldwide.esMortalidadTasa de homicidiosHomicidiosCausas externas de defunciónMortalidad ColombiaArticle