Homicide rate by sex of the victim in South Korea
South Korea: Homicide rate by sex of the victim was 0.4916 homicides per 100,000 population in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.4916 homicides per 100,000 population
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
127th
of 138 countries
All-time high
0.8616 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2012
All-time low
0.4831 homicides per 100,000 population
in 2021
Years of data
13
2011–2023
Homicide rate by sex of the victim in South Korea, 2011–2023
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
The most recent figure for homicide rate by sex of the victim in South Korea is 0.4916 homicides per 100,000 population, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 27.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate by sex of the victim in South Korea peaked at 0.8616 homicides per 100,000 population in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.4831 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2021.
South Korea ranks 127th of 138 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Homicide rate by sex of the victim in South Korea, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 0.7468 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 2012 | 0.8616 homicides per 100,000 population | +15.4% |
| 2013 | 0.6735 homicides per 100,000 population | -21.8% |
| 2014 | 0.724 homicides per 100,000 population | +7.5% |
| 2015 | 0.692 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 0.6304 homicides per 100,000 population | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 0.5703 homicides per 100,000 population | -9.5% |
| 2018 | 0.5883 homicides per 100,000 population | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 0.5332 homicides per 100,000 population | -9.4% |
| 2020 | 0.6331 homicides per 100,000 population | +18.7% |
| 2021 | 0.4831 homicides per 100,000 population | -23.7% |
| 2022 | 0.4915 homicides per 100,000 population | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 0.4916 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.4916 homicides per 100,000 population is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.45 homicides per 100,000 population, 34% of the median. (70 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.4916 homicides per 100,000 population is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.34 homicides per 100,000 population, 37% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.6689 homicides per 100,000 population | 0.5332 homicides per 100,000 population | 0.8616 homicides per 100,000 population | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.5248 homicides per 100,000 population | 0.4831 homicides per 100,000 population | 0.6331 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 124 Czechia 0.7129 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 125 Macao 0.6073 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 126 Switzerland 0.5675 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 128 Hong Kong 0.4471 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 129 Malta 0.3616 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 130 Japan 0.2323 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for South Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,407 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 117 (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 117 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 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 South Korea?
- Homicide rate by sex of the victim in South Korea was 0.4916 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8616 homicides per 100,000 population in 2012.
- What is the lowest homicide rate by sex of the victim recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4831 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021.
- How does South Korea rank for homicide rate by sex of the victim?
- South Korea ranks 127th out of 138 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate by sex of the victim rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.