Russia vs South Africa: Homicides (UN, World)
Russia
11,327 homicides
in 2024
South Africa
27,272 homicides
in 2022
Russia rank
7th
South Africa rank
4th
Homicides (UN, World) over time
- Russia
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 27,272 homicides against 11,327 homicides in Russia, a difference of 15,945 homicides.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.4 times Russia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 28 shared years of data; in 1994 it was Russia ahead.
Russia ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 4th of 179 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Russia averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Russia | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39,830 homicides | 25,088 homicides | 14,742 homicides | Russia |
| 2000s | 33,499 homicides | 19,422 homicides | 14,077 homicides | Russia |
| 2010s | 15,063 homicides | 18,286 homicides | 3,223 homicides | South Africa |
| 2020s | 10,282 homicides | 22,576 homicides | 12,295 homicides | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher homicides, Russia or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 27,272 homicides against 11,327 homicides in Russia as of 2022.
- What is the difference in homicides between Russia and South Africa?
- 15,945 homicides, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and South Africa?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2021.
- How do Russia and South Africa rank globally for homicides?
- Russia ranks 7th 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.