Homicide rate in Malawi
Malawi: Homicide rate was 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicide rate in Malawi, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2021, homicide rate in Malawi stood at 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 38.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Malawi peaked at 7.02 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001 and was at its lowest, 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
Malawi ranks 138th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Malawi, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.96 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 7.02 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people | -21.7% |
| 2003 | 4.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -23.6% |
| 2004 | 4.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 3.77 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.8% |
| 2006 | 5.27 deaths per 100,000 people | +39.8% |
| 2007 | 5.17 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 5.02 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 3.78 deaths per 100,000 people | -24.7% |
| 2010 | 3.29 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.0% |
| 2011 | 3.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.6% |
| 2012 | 2.6 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.5% |
| 2013 | 2.59 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 2.63 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.62 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 2.62 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2.61 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 2.27 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.0% |
| 2019 | 2.15 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 2.01 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.5% |
| 2021 | 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.0% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.38 deaths per 100,000 people, 22% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.48 deaths per 100,000 people, 22% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicide rate in Malawi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +39.8% | 3.77 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.27 deaths per 100,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.08 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.77 deaths per 100,000 people | 7.02 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.64 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.15 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.29 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.94 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.01 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 135 Maldives 1.95 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 136 Vietnam 1.94 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 137 Georgia 1.89 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 139 Estonia 1.85 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 140 Serbia 1.84 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 141 Cambodia 1.82 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 141 Sri Lanka 1.82 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Malawi
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35,241 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 551 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate -33.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (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 551 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0016 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 Malawi?
- Homicide rate in Malawi was 1.87 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7.02 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does Malawi rank for homicide rate?
- Malawi ranks 138th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.