Cost of treating firearm injuries in Brazil reached BRL 41M in 2022

In 2022, Brazil witnessed 17,100 hospital admissions for treating firearm injuries, incurring a cost of BRL 41 million to the country’s public healthcare network, the SUS, as per a survey by the Sou da Paz Institute. If applied to other purposes, the amount would be equivalent, for example, to carrying out 10 million complete blood counts and 934,000 mammograms. 

The report, now in its second edition, highlights that hospitalizations for gunshot victims cost 3.2 times more than the federal resources spent on healthcare per capita. In cases of severe injuries, this ratio jumps to 5.2 times higher costs.

According to the institute's analysis, the average cost of hospitalization due to firearm-related injuries is 59 percent higher than hospitalizations resulting from other forms of violence. The total cost of hospitalizations for armed aggression is approximately 2 times higher than those caused by physical force or bladed weapons.

In Brazil’s North and Northeast regions, firearm-related hospitalizations consume 3.2 percent of healthcare funds. This percentage decreases to 1.9 percent, 1.5 percent, and 1 percent in the Southeast, Midwest, and South, respectively.

Victims

The institute's findings reveal that hospitalized victims of armed violence are predominantly male (89.6%), black (57%), and young, aged between 15 and 29 (52.5%).

Additionally, male patients have longer hospital stays, a higher daily cost, and a greater mortality rate compared to their female counterparts, suggesting that they tend to suffer more severe injuries.