Homicide rate in Botswana
Botswana: Homicide rate was 15.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicide rate in Botswana, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicide rate in Botswana is 15.63 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Botswana peaked at 16.83 deaths per 100,000 people in 2005 and was at its lowest, 12.66 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2000.
Botswana ranks 23rd of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.49 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.66 deaths per 100,000 people | 16.83 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.76 deaths per 100,000 people | 15.54 deaths per 100,000 people | 16.37 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.6 deaths per 100,000 people | 15.57 deaths per 100,000 people | 15.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 20 Eswatini 18.31 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 21 Namibia 17.94 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 22 South Sudan 15.75 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 24 Uganda 15.39 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 25 Saint Kitts and Nevis 14.24 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 26 Guyana 14.07 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Botswana
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 847 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 384 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.665 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.798 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.85 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.665 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.369 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.52 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Botswana?
- Homicide rate in Botswana was 15.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 16.83 deaths per 100,000 people in 2005.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.66 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- How does Botswana rank for homicide rate?
- Botswana ranks 23rd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes, per 100,000 people.