Homicide rate in South Africa
South Africa: Homicide rate was 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Homicide rate in South Africa, 1996–2020
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2020, homicide rate in South Africa stood at 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people.
The figure is down 26.3% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in South Africa peaked at 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1996.
That places South Africa 18th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Homicide rate in South Africa, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1997 | 3.14 deaths per 100,000 people | +484.8% |
| 1998 | 3.1 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 6.59 deaths per 100,000 people | +112.5% |
| 2000 | 4.71 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.5% |
| 2001 | 8.28 deaths per 100,000 people | +75.7% |
| 2002 | 4.7 deaths per 100,000 people | -43.2% |
| 2003 | 5.51 deaths per 100,000 people | +17.0% |
| 2004 | 8.93 deaths per 100,000 people | +62.2% |
| 2005 | 10.34 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.8% |
| 2006 | 11.08 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.2% |
| 2007 | 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 11.2 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 10.08 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.0% |
| 2010 | 9.88 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 9.59 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 9.33 deaths per 100,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 9.35 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 9.74 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 13 deaths per 100,000 people | +33.4% |
| 2016 | 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 14.06 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 13.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.2% |
| 2019 | 12.97 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | -26.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.11 deaths per 100,000 people, 3.1× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicide rate in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +484.8% | 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.14 deaths per 100,000 people |
| 1999 | +112.5% | 3.1 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.59 deaths per 100,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.34 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.59 deaths per 100,000 people | 4 |
| 2000s | 8.63 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.7 deaths per 100,000 people | 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.33 deaths per 100,000 people | 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 15 Costa Rica 12.02 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 16 Uruguay 11.53 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 17 Panama 9.85 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 19 Antigua and Barbuda 9.12 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 20 Philippines 8.23 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 21 Grenada 7.9 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 9.56 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2016.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5374 deaths per 100,000 people in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for homicide rate?
- South Africa ranks 18th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (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
Annual number of homicides per 100,000 people.