Homicides in Ireland
Ireland: Homicides was 34 homicides in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
34 homicides
Change on year
down 22.7%
World rank
125th
of 179 countries
All-time high
78 homicides
in 2007
All-time low
17 homicides
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Homicides in Ireland, 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
The most recent figure for homicides in Ireland is 34 homicides, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 22.7% on the previous year and down 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Ireland peaked at 78 homicides in 2007 and was at its lowest, 17 homicides, in 1990.
That places Ireland 125th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Homicides in Ireland, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 23 homicides | +35.3% |
| 1992 | 25 homicides | +8.7% |
| 1993 | 23 homicides | -8.0% |
| 1994 | 25 homicides | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 43 homicides | +72.0% |
| 1996 | 42 homicides | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 38 homicides | -9.5% |
| 1998 | 38 homicides | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 38 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 37 homicides | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 52 homicides | +40.5% |
| 2002 | 52 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 37 homicides | -28.8% |
| 2004 | 30 homicides | -18.9% |
| 2005 | 52 homicides | +73.3% |
| 2006 | 62 homicides | +19.2% |
| 2007 | 78 homicides | +25.8% |
| 2008 | 51 homicides | -34.6% |
| 2009 | 53 homicides | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 54 homicides | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 42 homicides | -22.2% |
| 2012 | 51 homicides | +21.4% |
| 2013 | 47 homicides | -7.8% |
| 2014 | 47 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 27 homicides | -42.6% |
| 2016 | 33 homicides | +22.2% |
| 2017 | 38 homicides | +15.2% |
| 2018 | 38 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 32 homicides | -15.8% |
| 2020 | 31 homicides | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 22 homicides | -29.0% |
| 2022 | 44 homicides | +100.0% |
| 2023 | 34 homicides | -22.7% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 34 homicides is below the median for high income countries, which is 52.5 homicides, 65% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 34 homicides is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 74.5 homicides, 46% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.2 homicides | 17 homicides | 43 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.4 homicides | 30 homicides | 78 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.9 homicides | 27 homicides | 54 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.75 homicides | 22 homicides | 44 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 122 French Guiana 38.7 homicides compare
- 123 Cape Verde 36 homicides compare
- 124 Turks and Caicos Islands 35 homicides compare
- 126 Palestine 33 homicides compare
- 127 Saint Kitts and Nevis 30 homicides compare
- 128 Mauritius 29 homicides compare
More social development data for Ireland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 137,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 69 (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 69 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0251 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 Ireland?
- Homicides in Ireland was 34 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 recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 78 homicides in 2007.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 17 homicides in 1990.
- How does Ireland rank for homicides?
- Ireland ranks 125th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides.