Homicide rate by age of the victim in South Africa
South Africa: Homicide rate by age of the victim was 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
9.56 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 26.3%
World rank
18th
of 111 countries
All-time high
14.3 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2016
All-time low
0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1996
Years of data
25
1996–2020
Homicide rate by age of the victim 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 homicide rate by age of the victim in South Africa is 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 26.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate by age of the victim in South Africa peaked at 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1996.
That places South Africa 18th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Homicide rate by age of the victim in South Africa, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1997 | 3.14 deaths per 100,000 people | +484.8% |
| 1998 | 3.1 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 6.59 deaths per 100,000 people | +112.5% |
| 2000 | 4.71 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.5% |
| 2001 | 8.28 deaths per 100,000 people | +75.7% |
| 2002 | 4.7 deaths per 100,000 people | -43.2% |
| 2003 | 5.51 deaths per 100,000 people | +17.0% |
| 2004 | 8.93 deaths per 100,000 people | +62.2% |
| 2005 | 10.34 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.8% |
| 2006 | 11.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 11.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 10.08 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.0% |
| 2010 | 9.88 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 9.59 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 9.33 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 9.35 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 9.74 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 13 deaths per 100,000 people | +33.4% |
| 2016 | 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 14.06 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 13.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 12.97 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | -26.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.34 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.59 deaths per 100,000 people | 4 |
| 2000s | 8.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.7 deaths per 100,000 people | 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.33 deaths per 100,000 people | 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 15 Costa Rica 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 16 Uruguay 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 17 Panama 9.85 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 19 Antigua and Barbuda 9.12 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 20 Philippines 8.23 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 21 Grenada 7.9 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 homicide rate by age of the victim in South Africa?
- Homicide rate by age of the victim in South Africa was 9.56 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 homicide rate by age of the victim recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016.
- What is the lowest homicide rate by age of the victim recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for homicide rate by age of the victim?
- South Africa ranks 18th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is homicide rate by age of the victim rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. 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 Homicide rate by age of the victim. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual number of deaths from homicides, per 100,000 people within the same age-group.