Homicide rate in Kenya
Kenya: Homicide rate was 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
5.82 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
80th
of 194 countries
All-time high
6.12 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2010
All-time low
4.36 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2001
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Kenya, 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 Kenya is 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Kenya peaked at 6.12 deaths per 100,000 people in 2010 and was at its lowest, 4.36 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2001.
Kenya ranks 80th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Kenya, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.77 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 4.36 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.6% |
| 2002 | 4.47 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 4.45 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 4.57 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 4.85 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.1% |
| 2006 | 4.93 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 5.01 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 5.72 deaths per 100,000 people | +14.2% |
| 2009 | 5.87 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 6.12 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 5.8 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 6.02 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 6.02 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5.84 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5.77 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 5.8 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.3% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.97 deaths per 100,000 people, 97% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.48 deaths per 100,000 people, 69% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.9 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.36 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.87 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.86 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.12 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.81 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.8 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 77 Zambia 5.92 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 78 Ghana 5.87 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 79 Antigua and Barbuda 5.84 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 81 Djibouti 5.78 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 82 Benin 5.76 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 83 Sao Tome and Principe 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Kenya
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,325 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0107 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 Kenya?
- Homicide rate in Kenya was 5.82 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 6.12 deaths per 100,000 people in 2010.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.36 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001.
- How does Kenya rank for homicide rate?
- Kenya ranks 80th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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.