Homicide rate (World Health) in South Africa
South Africa: Homicide rate (World Health) was 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
32.81 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 4.5%
World rank
11th
of 194 countries
All-time high
46.66 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2002
All-time low
32.81 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2021
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicide rate in South Africa, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people for homicide rate in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.5% on the previous year and down 8.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in South Africa peaked at 46.66 deaths per 100,000 people in 2002 and was at its lowest, 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2021.
South Africa ranks 11th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicide rate (World Health) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 44.08 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 44.38 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 46.66 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.1% |
| 2003 | 43.55 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.7% |
| 2004 | 43.12 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 41.61 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 40.78 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 39.27 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 39.51 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 37.69 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 37.4 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 35.97 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 36.03 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 36.52 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 37.17 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 37.71 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 38.44 deaths per 100,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 39.57 deaths per 100,000 people | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 36.61 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.5% |
| 2019 | 36.12 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 34.34 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.79 deaths per 100,000 people, 6.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.48 deaths per 100,000 people, 3.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.06 deaths per 100,000 people | 37.69 deaths per 100,000 people | 46.66 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.15 deaths per 100,000 people | 35.97 deaths per 100,000 people | 39.57 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.58 deaths per 100,000 people | 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people | 34.34 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 8 Trinidad and Tobago 37.33 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 9 Colombia 35.63 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 10 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 34.62 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 12 Brazil 32.5 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 13 Mexico 28.47 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 14 Guatemala 26.2 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % 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 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 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 South Africa?
- Homicide rate in South Africa was 32.81 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 46.66 deaths per 100,000 people in 2002.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.81 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for homicide rate?
- South Africa ranks 11th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.