Homicide rate in Rwanda
Rwanda: Homicide rate was 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
4.15 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
106th
of 194 countries
All-time high
6.72 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2000
All-time low
4.15 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2021
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Rwanda, 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 Rwanda stood at 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Rwanda peaked at 6.72 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
Rwanda ranks 106th 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 Rwanda, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.72 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 6.66 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 6.45 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 6.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 5.92 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 5.67 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.2% |
| 2006 | 5.45 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 5.09 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 4.72 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 4.68 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 4.69 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 4.67 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 4.67 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4.71 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 4.74 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 4.56 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 4.53 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 4.45 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 4.34 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 4.27 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 4.21 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.4% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.38 deaths per 100,000 people, 50% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.48 deaths per 100,000 people, 49% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.76 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.68 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.72 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.27 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.74 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.18 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.21 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 103 Egypt 4.18 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 104 Lithuania 4.17 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 105 Indonesia 4.16 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 107 North Korea 4.1 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 108 Armenia 3.94 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 109 Myanmar 3.93 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Rwanda
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 115,794 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0168 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0079 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 Rwanda?
- Homicide rate in Rwanda was 4.15 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 6.72 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.15 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does Rwanda rank for homicide rate?
- Rwanda ranks 106th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda 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.