Homicides, by sex of the victim in South Korea
South Korea: Homicides, by sex of the victim was 120 homicides in 2023. ▼ Falling
Homicides, by sex of the victim in South Korea, 2011–2023
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 sex of the victim in South Korea stood at 120 homicides. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 34.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides, by sex of the victim in South Korea peaked at 219 homicides in 2012 and was at its lowest, 120 homicides, in 2021.
That places South Korea 38th out of 138 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.
Homicides, by sex of the victim in South Korea, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 217.08 homicides | — |
| 2012 | 219 homicides | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 182 homicides | -16.9% |
| 2014 | 193 homicides | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 198 homicides | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 193 homicides | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 153 homicides | -20.7% |
| 2018 | 154 homicides | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 154 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 138 homicides | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 120 homicides | -13.0% |
| 2022 | 129 homicides | +7.5% |
| 2023 | 120 homicides | -7.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 184.79 homicides | 153 homicides | 219 homicides | 9 |
| 2020s | 126.75 homicides | 120 homicides | 138 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More social development data for South Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,407 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 117 (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 117 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 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 South Korea?
- Homicides, by sex of the victim in South Korea was 120 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 South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 219 homicides in 2012.
- What is the lowest homicides, by sex of the victim recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 120 homicides in 2021.
- How does South Korea rank for homicides, by sex of the victim?
- South Korea ranks 38th out of 138 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides, by sex of the victim rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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 .