Homicide rate in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Homicide rate was 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicide rate in United Kingdom, 1990–2021
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
The most recent figure for homicide rate in United Kingdom is 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 18.3% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in United Kingdom peaked at 1.86 homicides per 100,000 population in 2002 and was at its lowest, 0.9003 homicides per 100,000 population, in 2014.
That places United Kingdom 128th out of 179 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.35 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.25 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.42 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.45 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.86 homicides per 100,000 population | 8 |
| 2010s | 1.06 homicides per 100,000 population | 0.9003 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.2 homicides per 100,000 population | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.03 homicides per 100,000 population | 0.9458 homicides per 100,000 population | 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 125 Sweden 1.15 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 126 Slovakia 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 127 Romania 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 129 Bulgaria 1.09 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 130 Belgium 1.08 homicides per 100,000 population compare
- 131 Turkmenistan 1.01 homicides per 100,000 population compare
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 517 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.859 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.844 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.689 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.533 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.844 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicide rate in United Kingdom?
- Homicide rate in United Kingdom was 1.12 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1.86 homicides per 100,000 population in 2002.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9003 homicides per 100,000 population in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom rank for homicide rate?
- United Kingdom ranks 128th out of 179 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.