Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Japan

Japan: Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 was 0.2292 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.2292 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
167th
of 178 countries
All-time high
0.6124 homicides per 100,000 population
in 1998
All-time low
0.2268 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2021
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Japan, 1990–2023

00.20.40.61990200620231990: 0.548 homicides per 100,000 population1991: 0.516 homicides per 100,000 population1992: 0.541 homicides per 100,000 population1993: 0.573 homicides per 100,000 population1994: 0.599 homicides per 100,000 population1995: 0.576 homicides per 100,000 population1996: 0.518 homicides per 100,000 population1997: 0.562 homicides per 100,000 population1998: 0.612 homicides per 100,000 population1999: 0.58 homicides per 100,000 population2000: 0.534 homicides per 100,000 population2001: 0.548 homicides per 100,000 population2002: 0.519 homicides per 100,000 population2003: 0.546 homicides per 100,000 population2004: 0.547 homicides per 100,000 population2005: 0.503 homicides per 100,000 population2006: 0.484 homicides per 100,000 population2007: 0.448 homicides per 100,000 population2008: 0.51 homicides per 100,000 population2009: 0.395 homicides per 100,000 population2010: 0.363 homicides per 100,000 population2011: 0.345 homicides per 100,000 population2012: 0.335 homicides per 100,000 population2013: 0.29 homicides per 100,000 population2014: 0.31 homicides per 100,000 population2015: 0.285 homicides per 100,000 population2016: 0.285 homicides per 100,000 population2017: 0.241 homicides per 100,000 population2018: 0.263 homicides per 100,000 population2019: 0.252 homicides per 100,000 population2020: 0.252 homicides per 100,000 population2021: 0.227 homicides per 100,000 population2022: 0.231 homicides per 100,000 population2023: 0.229 homicides per 100,000 population

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides per 100,000 population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Japan is 0.2292 homicides per 100,000 population, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of down 0.9% on the previous year and down 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Japan peaked at 0.6124 homicides per 100,000 population in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0.2268 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2021.

Japan ranks 167th of 178 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.5626 homicides per 100,000 population 0.5158 homicides per 100,000 population 0.6124 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2000s 0.5033 homicides per 100,000 population 0.3947 homicides per 100,000 population 0.5477 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2010s 0.2968 homicides per 100,000 population 0.2408 homicides per 100,000 population 0.3628 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2020s 0.2347 homicides per 100,000 population 0.2268 homicides per 100,000 population 0.2518 homicides per 100,000 population 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 164 Hong Kong 0.3762 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  2. 165 Indonesia 0.3038 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  3. 166 Kuwait 0.25 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  4. 168 Bahrain 0.1956 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  5. 169 Oman 0.1386 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  6. 170 Qatar 0.0691 homicides per 100,000 population compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More social development data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Japan?
Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Japan was 0.2292 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 0.6124 homicides per 100,000 population in 1998.
What is the lowest homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.2268 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021.
How does Japan rank for homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020?
Japan ranks 167th out of 178 countries with data for 2023.
Is homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures 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 part of Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020
Unit
homicides per 100,000 population
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 4,128 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population.