Homicide rate in India
India: Homicide rate was 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population in 2022. ▼ Falling
Homicide rate in India, 1990–2022
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides per 100,000 population.
Analysis
In 2022, homicide rate in India stood at 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in India peaked at 5.5 homicides per 100,000 population in 1992 and was at its lowest, 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2022.
That places India 84th out of 179 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Homicide rate in India, year by year
| Year | homicides per 100,000 population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.11 homicides per 100,000 population | — |
| 1991 | 5.5 homicides per 100,000 population | +7.6% |
| 1992 | 5.5 homicides per 100,000 population | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 5.2 homicides per 100,000 population | -5.5% |
| 1994 | 5.04 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 4.83 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 4.79 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 4.75 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 4.84 homicides per 100,000 population | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 4.6 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.9% |
| 2000 | 4.55 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 4.31 homicides per 100,000 population | -5.4% |
| 2002 | 4.17 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 3.97 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.7% |
| 2004 | 4.09 homicides per 100,000 population | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 3.91 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 3.83 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 3.81 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 3.81 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 3.74 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 3.74 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 3.78 homicides per 100,000 population | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 3.71 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 3.54 homicides per 100,000 population | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 3.61 homicides per 100,000 population | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 3.34 homicides per 100,000 population | -7.4% |
| 2016 | 3.15 homicides per 100,000 population | -5.8% |
| 2017 | 3.08 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 3.03 homicides per 100,000 population | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 2.95 homicides per 100,000 population | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 2.94 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 2.92 homicides per 100,000 population | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population | -3.7% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.07 homicides per 100,000 population, 69% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- India's 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population is above the median for South Asia, which is 2.4 homicides per 100,000 population, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.02 homicides per 100,000 population | 4.6 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.5 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.02 homicides per 100,000 population | 3.74 homicides per 100,000 population | 4.55 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.39 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.95 homicides per 100,000 population | 3.78 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.89 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.94 homicides per 100,000 population | 3 |
Countries ranked near India
- 81 Sao Tome and Principe 3.23 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 82 Turkey 3.23 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 83 Liberia 3.09 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 85 Martinique 2.75 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 86 Lithuania 2.63 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 87 Andorra 2.58 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for India
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 238,643 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,610 (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 42,610 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 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 India?
- Homicide rate in India was 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population in 2022, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.5 homicides per 100,000 population in 1992.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.82 homicides per 100,000 population in 2022.
- How does India rank for homicide rate?
- India ranks 84th out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor 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
Intentional homicide rate per 100,000 population.