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.
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
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 41 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.844 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.915 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.876 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.844 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.648 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.793 (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.
Download this data
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.