Homicide rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Homicide rate was 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
12.37 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
33rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
14.06 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2000
All-time low
12.37 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2021
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2021, homicide rate in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 14.06 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 33rd out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.06 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 14.02 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 14.03 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 13.96 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 13.89 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 13.78 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 13.63 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 13.55 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 13.48 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 13.44 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 13.38 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 13.21 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 13.03 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 13.02 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 13 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 12.98 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 12.87 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 12.59 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 12.53 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 12.45 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 12.4 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 8.38 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.48 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.78 deaths per 100,000 people | 13.44 deaths per 100,000 people | 14.06 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.91 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.45 deaths per 100,000 people | 13.38 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.38 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.4 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 30 Barbados 12.81 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 31 Philippines 12.77 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 32 Iraq 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 34 Zimbabwe 12.22 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 35 Cote d'Ivoire 11.08 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 36 Mauritania 10.85 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 503,732 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.18 million (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0104 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.18 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0045 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 in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Homicide rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 12.37 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 14.06 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.37 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for homicide rate?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 33rd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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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About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes, per 100,000 people.