Retrospective cross-sectional study. To describe the epidemiological profile of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), who visited the Sarah Network in 2014. Brazil, Brasília-Federal District. A review of the electronic medical records of persons with SCI, aged over 15 years, was carried out. The medical records of 2076 persons were evaluated: 83% were male, the mean age was 31 years, 40% did not complete elementary school, 67.7% had paraplegia, and 74.4% had complete SCI. The primary etiologies were gunshot wounds (28.4%), motorcycle accidents (24.6%), and motor vehicle accidents (19.1%). In the comparative analysis between genders, differences were observed regarding the level of education and completeness of injury. Gunshot wounds were the main cause of SCI in our population, comprising mostly male individuals with thoracic injury, resulting in complete SCI. Data show a high incidence of SCI in young adults owing to violence in Brazil.