Homicide rate (World Health) in Iraq
Iraq: Homicide rate (World Health) was 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
12.58 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
32nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
22.89 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2001
All-time low
12.58 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2021
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Iraq, 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 Iraq is 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Iraq peaked at 22.89 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001 and was at its lowest, 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
Iraq ranks 32nd of 194 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate (World Health) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 22.35 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 22.89 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 22.53 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 22.07 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 22.02 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 21.91 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 20.62 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 19.93 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 18.54 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 17.1 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 15.72 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 15.77 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 15.42 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 15.21 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 15.12 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 15.11 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 15.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 14.94 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 13.99 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 13.61 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 13.11 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.0% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.79 deaths per 100,000 people, 2.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.33 deaths per 100,000 people, 5.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21 deaths per 100,000 people | 17.1 deaths per 100,000 people | 22.89 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.99 deaths per 100,000 people | 13.61 deaths per 100,000 people | 15.77 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.84 deaths per 100,000 people | 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people | 13.11 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 29 Costa Rica 13.62 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 30 Barbados 12.81 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 31 Philippines 12.77 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 33 Democratic Republic of Congo 12.37 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
More social development data for Iraq
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 322,345 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0058 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0069 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 Iraq?
- Homicide rate in Iraq was 12.58 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 22.89 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.58 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does Iraq rank for homicide rate?
- Iraq ranks 32nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq 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.
Download this data
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.