Colombia vs South Africa: Homicides (UN, World)
Colombia
13,035 homicides
in 2023
South Africa
27,272 homicides
in 2022
Colombia rank
6th
South Africa rank
4th
Homicides (UN, World) over time
- Colombia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 27,272 homicides against 13,035 homicides in Colombia, a difference of 14,237 homicides.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.1 times Colombia's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 29 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Colombia ahead.
Colombia ranks 6th and South Africa ranks 4th of 179 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Colombia averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Colombia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23,899 homicides | 25,088 homicides | 1,189 homicides | South Africa |
| 2000s | 21,124 homicides | 19,422 homicides | 1,703 homicides | Colombia |
| 2010s | 13,763 homicides | 18,286 homicides | 4,523 homicides | South Africa |
| 2020s | 12,489 homicides | 24,142 homicides | 11,653 homicides | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher homicides, Colombia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 27,272 homicides against 13,035 homicides in Colombia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in homicides between Colombia and South Africa?
- 14,237 homicides, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Colombia and South Africa?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2022.
- How do Colombia and South Africa rank globally for homicides?
- Colombia ranks 6th and South Africa ranks 4th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Homicides. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of intentional homicides.