Homicide rate (World Health) in Somalia
Somalia: Homicide rate was 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
4.97 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
91st
of 194 countries
All-time high
6.92 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2000
All-time low
4.97 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2021
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in Somalia, 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 Somalia is 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.5% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Somalia peaked at 6.92 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
That places Somalia 91st out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Somalia, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6.92 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 6.75 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 6.61 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 6.51 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 6.4 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 6.3 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 6.24 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 6.15 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 6.02 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 6.39 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 6.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.5% |
| 2011 | 6.03 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 5.82 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 5.75 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 5.69 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 5.65 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 5.58 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 5.48 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 5.29 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 5.18 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 5.15 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.5% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 8.38 deaths per 100,000 people, 59% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.48 deaths per 100,000 people, 59% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.43 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.02 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.92 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.65 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.18 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.04 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.06 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people | 5.15 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 88 Lebanon 5.28 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 89 East Timor 5.18 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 90 Cuba 5.03 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 92 Micronesia (country) 4.91 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 92 Suriname 4.91 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 94 Turkey 4.81 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Somalia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,967 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (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 0.0454 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 892,037 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 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 Somalia?
- Homicide rate in Somalia was 4.97 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.92 deaths per 100,000 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.97 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does Somalia rank for homicide rate?
- Somalia ranks 91st out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia 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.