Mexico vs South Africa: Homicides (UN, World)
Mexico
32,252 homicides
in 2023
South Africa
27,272 homicides
in 2022
Mexico rank
3rd
South Africa rank
4th
Homicides (UN, World) over time
- Mexico
- South Africa
How they compare
Mexico currently reports 32,252 homicides against 27,272 homicides in South Africa, a difference of 4,980 homicides.
That makes Mexico's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 29 shared years of data; in 1994 it was South Africa ahead.
Mexico ranks 3rd and South Africa ranks 4th of 179 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Mexico averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Mexico | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14,236 homicides | 25,088 homicides | 10,853 homicides | South Africa |
| 2000s | 11,358 homicides | 19,422 homicides | 8,064 homicides | South Africa |
| 2010s | 27,276 homicides | 18,286 homicides | 8,990 homicides | Mexico |
| 2020s | 35,253 homicides | 24,142 homicides | 11,112 homicides | Mexico |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher homicides, Mexico or South Africa?
- Mexico, at 32,252 homicides against 27,272 homicides in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in homicides between Mexico and South Africa?
- 4,980 homicides, with Mexico ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Mexico and South Africa?
- 29 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2022.
- How do Mexico and South Africa rank globally for homicides?
- Mexico ranks 3rd 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.