Homicides in Iraq
Iraq: Homicides was 3,339 homicides in 2013. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Iraq, 1990–2013
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
Iraq recorded 3,339 homicides for homicides in 2013.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 23.8% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Iraq peaked at 4,596 homicides in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1,118 homicides, in 1993.
Iraq ranks 18th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Homicides in Iraq, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,168 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 1,171 homicides | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 1,397 homicides | +19.3% |
| 1993 | 1,118 homicides | -20.0% |
| 1994 | 1,267 homicides | +13.3% |
| 2008 | 4,596 homicides | +262.7% |
| 2009 | 2,554 homicides | -44.4% |
| 2010 | 2,691 homicides | +5.4% |
| 2011 | 2,634 homicides | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 2,697 homicides | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 3,339 homicides | +23.8% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 3,339 homicides is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 241.5 homicides, 13.8× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 3,339 homicides is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 216.5 homicides, 15.4× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,224 homicides | 1,118 homicides | 1,397 homicides | 5 |
| 2000s | 3,575 homicides | 2,554 homicides | 4,596 homicides | 2 |
| 2010s | 2,840 homicides | 2,634 homicides | 3,339 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More social development data for Iraq
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 322,345 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0058 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0069 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 Iraq?
- Homicides in Iraq was 3,339 homicides in 2013, 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 Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 4,596 homicides in 2008.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,118 homicides in 1993.
- How does Iraq rank for homicides?
- Iraq ranks 18th out of 179 countries with data for 2013.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq 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 — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides.