Homicides in Eswatini
Eswatini: Homicides was 151 homicides in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
151 homicides
World rank
84th
of 179 countries
All-time high
217 homicides
in 2008
All-time low
102 homicides
in 2013
Years of data
26
1990–2021
Homicides in Eswatini, 1990–2021
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
Eswatini recorded 151 homicides for homicides in 2021.
That represents a change of down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Eswatini peaked at 217 homicides in 2008 and was at its lowest, 102 homicides, in 2013.
Eswatini ranks 84th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Homicides in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 163 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 170 homicides | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 174 homicides | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 174 homicides | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 152 homicides | -12.6% |
| 1998 | 165 homicides | +8.6% |
| 1999 | 114 homicides | -30.9% |
| 2000 | 128 homicides | +12.3% |
| 2001 | 184 homicides | +43.8% |
| 2002 | 134 homicides | -27.2% |
| 2003 | 135 homicides | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 146 homicides | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 139 homicides | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 127 homicides | -8.6% |
| 2007 | 121 homicides | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 217 homicides | +79.3% |
| 2009 | 187 homicides | -13.8% |
| 2010 | 208 homicides | +11.2% |
| 2011 | 172 homicides | -17.3% |
| 2012 | 104 homicides | -39.5% |
| 2013 | 102 homicides | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 118 homicides | +15.7% |
| 2015 | 112 homicides | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 116 homicides | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 130 homicides | +12.1% |
| 2021 | 151 homicides | +16.2% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 151 homicides is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 635 homicides, 24% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 151 homicides is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 539.5 homicides, 28% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 158.86 homicides | 114 homicides | 174 homicides | 7 |
| 2000s | 151.8 homicides | 121 homicides | 217 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 132.75 homicides | 102 homicides | 208 homicides | 8 |
| 2020s | 151 homicides | 151 homicides | 151 homicides | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More social development data for Eswatini
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,414 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 220 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 220 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 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 in Eswatini?
- Homicides in Eswatini was 151 homicides in 2021, 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 recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 217 homicides in 2008.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 102 homicides in 2013.
- How does Eswatini rank for homicides?
- Eswatini ranks 84th out of 179 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini 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. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides.