Child homicide rate in South Africa
South Africa: Child homicide rate was 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Child homicide rate in South Africa, 1996–2020
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for child homicide rate in South Africa is 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 30.5% on the previous year and down 28.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child homicide rate in South Africa peaked at 3.72 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.1068 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 20th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Child homicide rate in South Africa, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.1068 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1997 | 0.8373 deaths per 100,000 people | +683.7% |
| 1998 | 0.7714 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.9% |
| 1999 | 1.64 deaths per 100,000 people | +112.9% |
| 2000 | 1.24 deaths per 100,000 people | -24.4% |
| 2001 | 2.33 deaths per 100,000 people | +87.8% |
| 2002 | 1.36 deaths per 100,000 people | -41.7% |
| 2003 | 1.62 deaths per 100,000 people | +19.6% |
| 2004 | 2.68 deaths per 100,000 people | +65.1% |
| 2005 | 3.3 deaths per 100,000 people | +23.0% |
| 2006 | 3.65 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.6% |
| 2007 | 3.7 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 3.41 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.0% |
| 2009 | 2.85 deaths per 100,000 people | -16.2% |
| 2010 | 2.91 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 2.86 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 2.75 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 2.94 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 3.05 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 3.64 deaths per 100,000 people | +19.3% |
| 2016 | 3.72 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 3.31 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.9% |
| 2018 | 3.06 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 3.01 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -30.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.6615 deaths per 100,000 people, 3.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Child homicide rate in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +683.7% | 0.1068 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.8373 deaths per 100,000 people |
| 1999 | +112.9% | 0.7714 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.64 deaths per 100,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.8394 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1068 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.64 deaths per 100,000 people | 4 |
| 2000s | 2.61 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.24 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.7 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.13 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.75 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.72 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 17 Costa Rica 3.14 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 18 Seychelles 3.07 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 19 Saint Lucia 2.13 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 21 Paraguay 1.71 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 22 French Guiana 1.69 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 23 Chile 1.67 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child homicide rate in South Africa?
- Child homicide rate in South Africa was 2.09 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child homicide rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.72 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016.
- What is the lowest child homicide rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1068 deaths per 100,000 people in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for child homicide rate?
- South Africa ranks 20th out of 113 countries with data for 2020.
- Is child homicide rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Child homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual number of homicides where the victim is under 20 years old, per 100,000 people in the same age-group.