South Africa vs Uruguay: Homicide rate
South Africa
9.56 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2020
Uruguay
11.53 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2022
South Africa rank
18th
Uruguay rank
16th
Homicide rate over time
- South Africa
- Uruguay
How they compare
Uruguay currently reports 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people against 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa, a difference of 1.97 deaths per 100,000 people.
That makes Uruguay's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1996 it was Uruguay ahead.
South Africa ranks 18th and Uruguay ranks 16th of 111 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Uruguay in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Uruguay | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.34 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.12 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.78 deaths per 100,000 people | Uruguay |
| 2000s | 8.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.89 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.75 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 11.74 deaths per 100,000 people | 8.07 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.67 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 10.13 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5764 deaths per 100,000 people | Uruguay |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher homicide rate, South Africa or Uruguay?
- Uruguay, at 11.53 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 South Africa and Uruguay?
- 1.97 deaths per 100,000 people, with Uruguay ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Uruguay?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2020.
- How do South Africa and Uruguay rank globally for homicide rate?
- South Africa ranks 18th and Uruguay ranks 16th 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.