Costa Rica vs South Africa: Homicide rate
Costa Rica
12.02 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2022
South Africa
9.56 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2020
Costa Rica rank
15th
South Africa rank
18th
Homicide rate over time
- Costa Rica
- South Africa
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people against 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa, a difference of 2.46 deaths per 100,000 people.
That makes Costa Rica's figure about 1.3 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 25 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Costa Rica ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 18th of 111 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.65 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.34 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.3 deaths per 100,000 people | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 6.94 deaths per 100,000 people | 8.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.69 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 9.95 deaths per 100,000 people | 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.58 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 10.09 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5333 deaths per 100,000 people | Costa Rica |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher homicide rate, Costa Rica or South Africa?
- Costa Rica, at 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people against 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa as of 2022.
- What is the difference in homicide rate between Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 2.46 deaths per 100,000 people, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and South Africa?
- 25 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2020.
- How do Costa Rica and South Africa rank globally for homicide rate?
- Costa Rica ranks 15th and South Africa ranks 18th of 111 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Homicide rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual number of homicides per 100,000 people.