Homicide rate in Kenya
Kenya: Homicide rate was 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
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.
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
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 617,125 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 13,325 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.563 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.9 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.793 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.563 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.335 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.446 (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.