Homicide rate in Switzerland
Switzerland: Homicide rate was 0.4757 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.4757 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 22.7%
World rank
93rd
of 111 countries
All-time high
1.6 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1993
All-time low
0.3668 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2017
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Homicide rate in Switzerland, 1951–2023
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicide rate in Switzerland is 0.4757 deaths per 100,000 people, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 22.7% on the previous year and down 14.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicide rate in Switzerland peaked at 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.3668 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2017.
That places Switzerland 93rd out of 111 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Homicide rate in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 1.26 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1952 | 1.16 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.9% |
| 1953 | 1.11 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.8% |
| 1954 | 1.05 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.9% |
| 1955 | 1.12 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.3% |
| 1956 | 0.6515 deaths per 100,000 people | -41.8% |
| 1957 | 0.7602 deaths per 100,000 people | +16.7% |
| 1958 | 0.6543 deaths per 100,000 people | -13.9% |
| 1959 | 0.9121 deaths per 100,000 people | +39.4% |
| 1960 | 0.5818 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.2% |
| 1961 | 0.7177 deaths per 100,000 people | +23.3% |
| 1962 | 1.02 deaths per 100,000 people | +42.5% |
| 1963 | 0.6673 deaths per 100,000 people | -34.7% |
| 1964 | 0.7773 deaths per 100,000 people | +16.5% |
| 1965 | 0.5806 deaths per 100,000 people | -25.3% |
| 1966 | 0.659 deaths per 100,000 people | +13.5% |
| 1967 | 0.8178 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.1% |
| 1968 | 0.7416 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.3% |
| 1969 | 0.5378 deaths per 100,000 people | -27.5% |
| 1970 | 0.7112 deaths per 100,000 people | +32.2% |
| 1971 | 0.9628 deaths per 100,000 people | +35.4% |
| 1972 | 0.9234 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.1% |
| 1973 | 0.6796 deaths per 100,000 people | -26.4% |
| 1974 | 0.9594 deaths per 100,000 people | +41.2% |
| 1975 | 0.945 deaths per 100,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 0.8876 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 0.8587 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1978 | 0.7313 deaths per 100,000 people | -14.8% |
| 1979 | 0.9202 deaths per 100,000 people | +25.8% |
| 1980 | 0.9484 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 1.19 deaths per 100,000 people | +25.9% |
| 1982 | 1.36 deaths per 100,000 people | +13.7% |
| 1983 | 1.4 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9314 deaths per 100,000 people | -33.6% |
| 1985 | 1.44 deaths per 100,000 people | +54.3% |
| 1986 | 0.984 deaths per 100,000 people | -31.5% |
| 1987 | 1.21 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.7% |
| 1988 | 1.21 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 1.28 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.4% |
| 1990 | 1.47 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.3% |
| 1991 | 1.37 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.2% |
| 1992 | 1.47 deaths per 100,000 people | +7.3% |
| 1993 | 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.9% |
| 1994 | 1.34 deaths per 100,000 people | -16.0% |
| 1995 | 0.9658 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.1% |
| 1996 | 1.09 deaths per 100,000 people | +12.7% |
| 1997 | 1.41 deaths per 100,000 people | +29.6% |
| 1998 | 0.8273 deaths per 100,000 people | -41.4% |
| 1999 | 0.9907 deaths per 100,000 people | +19.8% |
| 2000 | 0.7907 deaths per 100,000 people | -20.2% |
| 2001 | 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people | +42.8% |
| 2002 | 1.03 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 0.6813 deaths per 100,000 people | -33.6% |
| 2004 | 0.9067 deaths per 100,000 people | +33.1% |
| 2005 | 0.8605 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 0.5746 deaths per 100,000 people | -33.2% |
| 2007 | 0.5959 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 0.5623 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 0.7102 deaths per 100,000 people | +26.3% |
| 2010 | 0.4984 deaths per 100,000 people | -29.8% |
| 2011 | 0.5435 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.0% |
| 2012 | 0.5127 deaths per 100,000 people | -5.7% |
| 2013 | 0.5563 deaths per 100,000 people | +8.5% |
| 2014 | 0.4143 deaths per 100,000 people | -25.5% |
| 2015 | 0.5675 deaths per 100,000 people | +37.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3822 deaths per 100,000 people | -32.7% |
| 2017 | 0.3668 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 0.4581 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.9% |
| 2019 | 0.3848 deaths per 100,000 people | -16.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5084 deaths per 100,000 people | +32.1% |
| 2021 | 0.3901 deaths per 100,000 people | -23.3% |
| 2022 | 0.3875 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 0.4757 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.7% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 0.4757 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.7971 deaths per 100,000 people, 60% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 0.4757 deaths per 100,000 people is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.8117 deaths per 100,000 people, 59% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.9651 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.6515 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.26 deaths per 100,000 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 0.7103 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5378 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.02 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8579 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.6796 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.9628 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.9314 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.44 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.25 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.8273 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7837 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5623 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.13 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4684 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.3668 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5675 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4404 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.3875 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.5084 deaths per 100,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 90 Kyrgyzstan 0.5422 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 91 Bahrain 0.5325 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 92 Poland 0.508 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 94 Uzbekistan 0.4614 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 95 Germany 0.4461 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 96 Italy 0.4148 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Switzerland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 208,287 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0229 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 Switzerland?
- Homicide rate in Switzerland was 0.4757 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicide rate recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 1.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 1993.
- What is the lowest homicide rate recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3668 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017.
- How does Switzerland rank for homicide rate?
- Switzerland ranks 93rd out of 111 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicide rate rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.