Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Australia
Australia: Homicide rate by sex of the victim was 1.16 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.16 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
105th
of 138 countries
All-time high
2.78 homicides per 100,000 population
in 1999
All-time low
1.08 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2018
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Australia, 1990–2023
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 2023, homicide rate by sex of the victim in Australia stood at 1.16 homicides per 100,000 population.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate by sex of the victim in Australia peaked at 2.78 homicides per 100,000 population in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1.08 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2018.
That places Australia 105th out of 138 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Australia, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.76 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 1991 | 2.28 homicides per 100,000 population | -17.6% |
| 1992 | 2.1 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.6% |
| 1993 | 2.43 homicides per 100,000 population | +15.5% |
| 1994 | 2.3 homicides per 100,000 population | -5.3% |
| 1995 | 2.4 homicides per 100,000 population | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 2.65 homicides per 100,000 population | +10.3% |
| 1997 | 2.63 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 2.45 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.0% |
| 1999 | 2.78 homicides per 100,000 population | +13.7% |
| 2000 | 2.38 homicides per 100,000 population | -14.5% |
| 2001 | 2.4 homicides per 100,000 population | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 2.52 homicides per 100,000 population | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 2.09 homicides per 100,000 population | -17.0% |
| 2004 | 1.71 homicides per 100,000 population | -18.1% |
| 2005 | 1.63 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 1.84 homicides per 100,000 population | +12.6% |
| 2007 | 1.63 homicides per 100,000 population | -11.4% |
| 2008 | 1.5 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.6% |
| 2009 | 1.72 homicides per 100,000 population | +14.5% |
| 2010 | 1.24 homicides per 100,000 population | -27.9% |
| 2011 | 1.41 homicides per 100,000 population | +13.6% |
| 2012 | 1.41 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.31 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 1.27 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 1.27 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.22 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 1.17 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 1.08 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 1.23 homicides per 100,000 population | +13.9% |
| 2020 | 1.17 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 1.09 homicides per 100,000 population | -6.8% |
| 2022 | 1.15 homicides per 100,000 population | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 1.16 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.16 homicides per 100,000 population is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.45 homicides per 100,000 population, 80% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.16 homicides per 100,000 population is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.34 homicides per 100,000 population, 86% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.48 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.1 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.78 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.94 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.5 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.52 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.26 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.08 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.41 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.15 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.09 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.17 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 102 Jordan 1.24 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 103 Slovakia 1.19 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 104 Cyprus 1.17 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 106 Finland 1.16 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 107 Brunei 1.14 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 108 Denmark 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 41 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 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 sex of the victim in Australia?
- Homicide rate by sex of the victim in Australia was 1.16 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 by sex of the victim recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.78 homicides per 100,000 population in 1999.
- What is the lowest homicide rate by sex of the victim recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.08 homicides per 100,000 population in 2018.
- How does Australia rank for homicide rate by sex of the victim?
- Australia ranks 105th out of 138 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate by sex of the victim rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 by sex of the victim. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 populationof male victims.