Homicides in India
India: Homicides was 40,130 homicides in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
40,130 homicides
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
2nd
of 179 countries
All-time high
49,688 homicides
in 1992
All-time low
40,130 homicides
in 2022
Years of data
33
1990–2022
Homicides in India, 1990–2022
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
The most recent figure for homicides in India is 40,130 homicides, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in India peaked at 49,688 homicides in 1992 and was at its lowest, 40,130 homicides, in 2022.
India ranks 2nd of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Homicides in India, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 44,162 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 48,574 homicides | +10.0% |
| 1992 | 49,688 homicides | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 47,947 homicides | -3.5% |
| 1994 | 47,458 homicides | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 46,386 homicides | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 46,912 homicides | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 47,418 homicides | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 49,292 homicides | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 47,781 homicides | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 48,167 homicides | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 46,420 homicides | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 45,736 homicides | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 44,331 homicides | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 46,490 homicides | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 45,095 homicides | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 44,961 homicides | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 45,362 homicides | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 45,999 homicides | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 45,824 homicides | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 46,460 homicides | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 47,640 homicides | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 47,478 homicides | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 45,878 homicides | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 47,356 homicides | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 44,373 homicides | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 42,320 homicides | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 41,832 homicides | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 41,651 homicides | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 40,976 homicides | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 41,171 homicides | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 41,330 homicides | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 40,130 homicides | -2.9% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 40,130 homicides is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 635 homicides, 63.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- India's 40,130 homicides is above the median for South Asia, which is 679.5 homicides, 59.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 47,562 homicides | 44,162 homicides | 49,688 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 45,838 homicides | 44,331 homicides | 48,167 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 44,596 homicides | 40,976 homicides | 47,640 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,877 homicides | 40,130 homicides | 41,330 homicides | 3 |
Countries ranked near India
- 1 Brazil 40,698 homicides compare
- 3 Mexico 32,252 homicides compare
- 4 South Africa 27,272 homicides compare
- 5 United States 19,796 homicides compare
More social development data for India
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 238,643 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,610 (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 42,610 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in India?
- Homicides in India was 40,130 homicides in 2022, 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 49,688 homicides in 1992.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 40,130 homicides in 2022.
- How does India rank for homicides?
- India ranks 2nd out of 179 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.
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About this data
Number of intentional homicides.