Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi
Malawi: Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 was 1.78 homicides per 100,000 population in 2012. ▼ Falling
Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi, 2000–2012
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
In 2012, homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi stood at 1.78 homicides per 100,000 population.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.0% on the previous year and down 62.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi peaked at 7.76 homicides per 100,000 population in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.56 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2005.
That places Malawi 108th out of 178 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.19 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 2001 | 7.76 homicides per 100,000 population | +25.5% |
| 2002 | 4.77 homicides per 100,000 population | -38.5% |
| 2003 | 2.46 homicides per 100,000 population | -48.4% |
| 2004 | 3.29 homicides per 100,000 population | +33.5% |
| 2005 | 1.56 homicides per 100,000 population | -52.6% |
| 2006 | 6.22 homicides per 100,000 population | +299.3% |
| 2007 | 5.08 homicides per 100,000 population | -18.3% |
| 2008 | 5.58 homicides per 100,000 population | +9.8% |
| 2009 | 2.22 homicides per 100,000 population | -60.2% |
| 2010 | 3.51 homicides per 100,000 population | +57.8% |
| 2011 | 2.25 homicides per 100,000 population | -35.9% |
| 2012 | 1.78 homicides per 100,000 population | -21.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.78 homicides per 100,000 population is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.6 homicides per 100,000 population, 49% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.78 homicides per 100,000 population is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.43 homicides per 100,000 population, 33% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +299.3% | 1.56 homicides per 100,000 population | 6.22 homicides per 100,000 population |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.51 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.56 homicides per 100,000 population | 7.76 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.51 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.78 homicides per 100,000 population | 3.51 homicides per 100,000 population | 3 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 105 Ghana 1.83 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 106 Cambodia 1.82 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 107 Reunion 1.79 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 109 Albania 1.76 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 110 Morocco 1.67 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 111 Israel 1.63 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Malawi
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35,241 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 551 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate -33.33 % 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 551 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0016 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 homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi?
- Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in Malawi was 1.78 homicides per 100,000 population in 2012, 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7.76 homicides per 100,000 population in 2001.
- What is the lowest homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 homicides per 100,000 population in 2005.
- How does Malawi rank for homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020?
- Malawi ranks 108th out of 178 countries with data for 2012.
- Is homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population.