Homicide rate in Denmark
Denmark: Homicide rate was 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicide rate in Denmark, 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 Denmark is 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 47.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Denmark peaked at 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2004.
Denmark ranks 154th of 194 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Denmark, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 1.01 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.4% |
| 2002 | 1.01 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people | +18.8% |
| 2004 | 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people | -41.7% |
| 2005 | 1.16 deaths per 100,000 people | +65.7% |
| 2006 | 0.74 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.2% |
| 2007 | 0.92 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.3% |
| 2008 | 0.88 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 0.88 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.82 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 0.83 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 0.89 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2013 | 0.95 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 1.07 deaths per 100,000 people | +12.6% |
| 2015 | 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 1.07 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.6% |
| 2018 | 1.07 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
| 2019 | 1.09 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 1.16 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.2% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicide rate in Denmark changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +65.7% | 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.16 deaths per 100,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.991 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.998 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.82 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.19 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.16 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 151 United Kingdom 1.28 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 152 Uzbekistan 1.27 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 153 Belgium 1.23 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 154 New Zealand 1.22 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 156 Romania 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 157 Bulgaria 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Denmark
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 95,007 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 21 (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 21 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0158 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 Denmark?
- Homicide rate in Denmark was 1.22 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2004.
- How does Denmark rank for homicide rate?
- Denmark ranks 154th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark 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.