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Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in South Africa

South Africa: Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 was 43.72 homicides per 100,000 population in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
43.72 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
up 6.8%
World rank
7th
of 178 countries
All-time high
60.34 homicides per 100,000 population
in 1995
All-time low
29.35 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2011
Years of data
29
1994–2022

Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in South Africa, 1994–2022

02040601994200820221994: 59 homicides per 100,000 population1995: 60.3 homicides per 100,000 population1996: 56.4 homicides per 100,000 population1997: 53.6 homicides per 100,000 population1998: 54.4 homicides per 100,000 population1999: 48.4 homicides per 100,000 population2000: 46.1 homicides per 100,000 population2001: 45 homicides per 100,000 population2002: 44.9 homicides per 100,000 population2003: 40.9 homicides per 100,000 population2004: 38.4 homicides per 100,000 population2005: 37.4 homicides per 100,000 population2006: 38.2 homicides per 100,000 population2007: 36.4 homicides per 100,000 population2008: 35.4 homicides per 100,000 population2009: 32.4 homicides per 100,000 population2010: 30.4 homicides per 100,000 population2011: 29.3 homicides per 100,000 population2012: 30.1 homicides per 100,000 population2013: 31.1 homicides per 100,000 population2014: 32 homicides per 100,000 population2015: 32.9 homicides per 100,000 population2016: 33.2 homicides per 100,000 population2017: 35.3 homicides per 100,000 population2018: 35.9 homicides per 100,000 population2019: 35.8 homicides per 100,000 population2020: 33 homicides per 100,000 population2021: 40.9 homicides per 100,000 population2022: 43.7 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

South Africa recorded 43.72 homicides per 100,000 population for homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in 2022.

The figure is up 6.8% on the previous year and up 45.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in South Africa peaked at 60.34 homicides per 100,000 population in 1995 and was at its lowest, 29.35 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2011.

South Africa ranks 7th of 178 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.

Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in South Africa, year by year

Year homicides per 100,000 population Change
1994 59.01 homicides per 100,000 population —
1995 60.34 homicides per 100,000 population +2.3%
1996 56.45 homicides per 100,000 population -6.5%
1997 53.62 homicides per 100,000 population -5.0%
1998 54.36 homicides per 100,000 population +1.4%
1999 48.37 homicides per 100,000 population -11.0%
2000 46.14 homicides per 100,000 population -4.6%
2001 45 homicides per 100,000 population -2.5%
2002 44.88 homicides per 100,000 population -0.3%
2003 40.87 homicides per 100,000 population -8.9%
2004 38.36 homicides per 100,000 population -6.2%
2005 37.44 homicides per 100,000 population -2.4%
2006 38.21 homicides per 100,000 population +2.1%
2007 36.41 homicides per 100,000 population -4.7%
2008 35.38 homicides per 100,000 population -2.8%
2009 32.41 homicides per 100,000 population -8.4%
2010 30.36 homicides per 100,000 population -6.3%
2011 29.35 homicides per 100,000 population -3.3%
2012 30.15 homicides per 100,000 population +2.7%
2013 31.13 homicides per 100,000 population +3.3%
2014 32.03 homicides per 100,000 population +2.9%
2015 32.92 homicides per 100,000 population +2.8%
2016 33.21 homicides per 100,000 population +0.9%
2017 35.28 homicides per 100,000 population +6.2%
2018 35.87 homicides per 100,000 population +1.6%
2019 35.79 homicides per 100,000 population -0.2%
2020 32.98 homicides per 100,000 population -7.9%
2021 40.94 homicides per 100,000 population +24.2%
2022 43.72 homicides per 100,000 population +6.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 43.72 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.06 homicides per 100,000 population, 10.8× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 43.72 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.43 homicides per 100,000 population, 8.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 55.36 homicides per 100,000 population 48.37 homicides per 100,000 population 60.34 homicides per 100,000 population 6
2000s 39.51 homicides per 100,000 population 32.41 homicides per 100,000 population 46.14 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2010s 32.61 homicides per 100,000 population 29.35 homicides per 100,000 population 35.87 homicides per 100,000 population 10
2020s 39.21 homicides per 100,000 population 32.98 homicides per 100,000 population 43.72 homicides per 100,000 population 3

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 4 United States Virgin Islands 49.86 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  2. 5 Jamaica 49.44 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  3. 6 Ecuador 45.72 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  4. 8 Haiti 41.15 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  5. 9 Trinidad and Tobago 40.44 homicides per 100,000 population compare
  6. 10 Saint Lucia 39.04 homicides per 100,000 population compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More social development data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in South Africa?
Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in South Africa was 43.72 homicides per 100,000 population in 2022, 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 South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 60.34 homicides per 100,000 population in 1995.
What is the lowest homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 29.35 homicides per 100,000 population in 2011.
How does South Africa rank for homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020?
South Africa ranks 7th out of 178 countries with data for 2022.
Is homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 45.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa 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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Homicide rate in 1990 vs. 2020 in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 October 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/homicide-rate-1990-vs-2020/south-africa/

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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.