Homicide rate (World Health) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Homicide rate (World Health) was 2.35 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
2.35 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 5.9%
World rank
127th
of 194 countries
All-time high
2.63 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2016
All-time low
1.84 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2009
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Saudi Arabia, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 2.35 deaths per 100,000 people for homicide rate in 2021.
That represents a change of up 5.9% on the previous year and up 21.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Saudi Arabia peaked at 2.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.84 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2009.
That places Saudi Arabia 127th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate (World Health) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.98 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 2.07 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 2.13 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 2.1 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 2.11 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 2.06 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 1.96 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 1.9 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 1.87 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 1.84 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.84 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.93 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 2.04 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.7% |
| 2013 | 2.06 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 2.05 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 2.55 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.4% |
| 2016 | 2.63 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 1.88 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.5% |
| 2018 | 2.07 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.1% |
| 2019 | 2.12 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 2.22 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 2.35 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 2.35 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people, 2.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 2.35 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.33 deaths per 100,000 people, 1.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.84 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.13 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.12 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.84 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.29 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.22 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.35 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 124 Azerbaijan 2.44 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 125 Syria 2.43 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 126 Samoa 2.38 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 128 Jordan 2.31 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 128 Nepal 2.31 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 130 Vanuatu 2.22 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Saudi Arabia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Saudi Arabia?
- Homicide rate in Saudi Arabia was 2.35 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.63 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.84 deaths per 100,000 people in 2009.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for homicide rate?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 127th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.