Homicides by firearm in Australia
Australia: Homicides by firearm was 25 homicides in 2023. ▼ Falling
Homicides by firearm in Australia, 2005–2023
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.
Analysis
In 2023, homicides by firearm in Australia stood at 25 homicides.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 19.4% on the previous year and down 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides by firearm in Australia peaked at 41 homicides in 2006 and was at its lowest, 20 homicides, in 2020.
Australia ranks 41st of 82 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
Homicides by firearm in Australia, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 34 homicides | — |
| 2006 | 41 homicides | +20.6% |
| 2007 | 34 homicides | -17.1% |
| 2008 | 30 homicides | -11.8% |
| 2009 | 34 homicides | +13.3% |
| 2010 | 38 homicides | +11.8% |
| 2011 | 31 homicides | -18.4% |
| 2012 | 40 homicides | +29.0% |
| 2013 | 33 homicides | -17.5% |
| 2014 | 36 homicides | +9.1% |
| 2015 | 27 homicides | -25.0% |
| 2016 | 32 homicides | +18.5% |
| 2017 | 23 homicides | -28.1% |
| 2018 | 25 homicides | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 38 homicides | +52.0% |
| 2020 | 20 homicides | -47.4% |
| 2021 | 25 homicides | +25.0% |
| 2022 | 31 homicides | +24.0% |
| 2023 | 25 homicides | -19.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 25 homicides is above the median for high income countries, which is 17 homicides, 1.5× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Australia's 25 homicides is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 18.5 homicides, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34.6 homicides | 30 homicides | 41 homicides | 5 |
| 2010s | 32.3 homicides | 23 homicides | 40 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.25 homicides | 20 homicides | 31 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (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 41 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 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 homicides by firearm in Australia?
- Homicides by firearm in Australia was 25 homicides in 2023, 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 homicides by firearm recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 41 homicides in 2006.
- What is the lowest homicides by firearm recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20 homicides in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for homicides by firearm?
- Australia ranks 41st out of 82 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides by firearm rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 Homicides by firearm. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides where the weapon was a firearm.