Homicide rate in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Homicide rate was 3.31 homicides per 100,000 population in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Homicide rate in Sri Lanka, 1990–2019
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
Sri Lanka recorded 3.31 homicides per 100,000 population for homicide rate in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 43.3% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Sri Lanka peaked at 12.14 homicides per 100,000 population in 1990 and was at its lowest, 2.2 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2017.
Sri Lanka ranks 80th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.3 homicides per 100,000 population | 9.19 homicides per 100,000 population | 12.14 homicides per 100,000 population | 5 |
| 2000s | 7.77 homicides per 100,000 population | 5.29 homicides per 100,000 population | 10.04 homicides per 100,000 population | 4 |
| 2010s | 2.83 homicides per 100,000 population | 2.2 homicides per 100,000 population | 3.65 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 77 Solomon Islands 3.73 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 78 Rwanda 3.61 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 79 Mozambique 3.59 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 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
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 148,369 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.853 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.816 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.613 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.52 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.816 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in Sri Lanka?
- Homicide rate in Sri Lanka was 3.31 homicides per 100,000 population in 2019, 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 12.14 homicides per 100,000 population in 1990.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2 homicides per 100,000 population in 2017.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for homicide rate?
- Sri Lanka ranks 80th out of 179 countries with data for 2019.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.