Homicides, by sex of the victim in Australia
Australia: Homicides, by sex of the victim was 71 homicides in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
71 homicides
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
47th
of 138 countries
All-time high
143 homicides
in 1991
All-time low
49 homicides
in 2021
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Homicides, by sex of the victim in Australia, 1990–2023
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
Australia recorded 71 homicides for homicides, by sex of the victim in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and down 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides, by sex of the victim in Australia peaked at 143 homicides in 1991 and was at its lowest, 49 homicides, in 2021.
Australia ranks 47th of 138 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Homicides, by sex of the victim in Australia, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 138 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 143 homicides | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 117 homicides | -18.2% |
| 1993 | 118.49 homicides | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 114.92 homicides | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 139.77 homicides | +21.6% |
| 1996 | 112.89 homicides | -19.2% |
| 1997 | 121.72 homicides | +7.8% |
| 1998 | 106.43 homicides | -12.6% |
| 1999 | 123.56 homicides | +16.1% |
| 2000 | 136.05 homicides | +10.1% |
| 2001 | 116.04 homicides | -14.7% |
| 2002 | 121.15 homicides | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 96.36 homicides | -20.5% |
| 2004 | 92.54 homicides | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 94.36 homicides | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 92.87 homicides | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 85.34 homicides | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 101 homicides | +18.4% |
| 2009 | 76.16 homicides | -24.6% |
| 2010 | 94 homicides | +23.4% |
| 2011 | 90 homicides | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 83 homicides | -7.8% |
| 2013 | 94 homicides | +13.3% |
| 2014 | 94 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 85 homicides | -9.6% |
| 2016 | 80 homicides | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 63 homicides | -21.2% |
| 2018 | 84 homicides | +33.3% |
| 2019 | 68 homicides | -19.0% |
| 2020 | 74 homicides | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 49 homicides | -33.8% |
| 2022 | 68 homicides | +38.8% |
| 2023 | 71 homicides | +4.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 123.58 homicides | 106.43 homicides | 143 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 101.19 homicides | 76.16 homicides | 136.05 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.5 homicides | 63 homicides | 94 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.5 homicides | 49 homicides | 74 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 45 Morocco 88 homicides compare
- 46 Belarus 87 homicides compare
- 47 Costa Rica 71 homicides compare
- 47 El Salvador 71 homicides compare
- 47 Paraguay 71 homicides compare
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 sex of the victim in Australia?
- Homicides, by sex of the victim in Australia was 71 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 sex of the victim recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 143 homicides in 1991.
- What is the lowest homicides, by sex of the victim recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 49 homicides in 2021.
- How does Australia rank for homicides, by sex of the victim?
- Australia ranks 47th out of 138 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides, by sex of the victim rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.5%. 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 sex of the victim. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of intentional homicidesof female victims .