Homicide rate (World Health) in Japan
Japan: Homicide rate (World Health) was 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicide rate in Japan, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
Japan recorded 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people for homicide rate in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.0% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Japan peaked at 0.65 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
That places Japan 194th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate (World Health) in Japan, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0.65 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 0.62 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 0.62 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.59 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 0.55 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 0.5 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 0.49 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 0.44 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.2% |
| 2008 | 0.47 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 0.4 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.9% |
| 2010 | 0.37 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 0.36 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 0.35 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.28 deaths per 100,000 people | -20.0% |
| 2014 | 0.3 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 0.27 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 0.25 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 0.24 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 0.23 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 0.21 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.7% |
| 2020 | 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people, 17% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Japan's 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.82 deaths per 100,000 people, 5% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.533 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.4 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.65 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.286 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.21 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.37 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.19 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.2 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More social development data for Japan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,450 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (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 56 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 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 Japan?
- Homicide rate in Japan was 0.18 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 0.65 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.18 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does Japan rank for homicide rate?
- Japan ranks 194th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.