Homicides in Kuwait
Kuwait: Homicides was 11 homicides in 2020. ▬ Flat
Latest (2020)
11 homicides
Change on year
down 31.2%
World rank
145th
of 179 countries
All-time high
61 homicides
in 2012
All-time low
11 homicides
in 2020
Years of data
17
1996–2020
Homicides in Kuwait, 1996–2020
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
Kuwait recorded 11 homicides for homicides in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of down 31.2% on the previous year and down 81.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Kuwait peaked at 61 homicides in 2012 and was at its lowest, 11 homicides, in 2020.
That places Kuwait 145th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Homicides in Kuwait, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 16 homicides | — |
| 2001 | 39 homicides | +143.8% |
| 2002 | 23 homicides | -41.0% |
| 2003 | 29 homicides | +26.1% |
| 2004 | 43 homicides | +48.3% |
| 2005 | 41 homicides | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 45 homicides | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 59 homicides | +31.1% |
| 2008 | 38 homicides | -35.6% |
| 2009 | 49 homicides | +28.9% |
| 2010 | 60 homicides | +22.4% |
| 2011 | 59 homicides | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 61 homicides | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 46 homicides | -24.6% |
| 2018 | 37 homicides | -19.6% |
| 2019 | 16 homicides | -56.8% |
| 2020 | 11 homicides | -31.2% |
Kuwait compared with similar countries
- Kuwait's 11 homicides is below the median for high income countries, which is 52.5 homicides, 21% of the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Kuwait's 11 homicides is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 216.5 homicides, 5% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16 homicides | 16 homicides | 16 homicides | 1 |
| 2000s | 40.67 homicides | 23 homicides | 59 homicides | 9 |
| 2010s | 46.5 homicides | 16 homicides | 61 homicides | 6 |
| 2020s | 11 homicides | 11 homicides | 11 homicides | 1 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 142 Cyprus 13 homicides compare
- 142 Samoa 13 homicides compare
- 144 Slovenia 12 homicides compare
- 145 Martinique 11 homicides compare
- 147 Antigua and Barbuda 10 homicides compare
- 147 Luxembourg 10 homicides compare
- 147 Saint Martin (French part) 10 homicides compare
- 147 Seychelles 10 homicides compare
More social development data for Kuwait
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 386 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0007 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3,369 (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 in Kuwait?
- Homicides in Kuwait was 11 homicides in 2020, 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 61 homicides in 2012.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 11 homicides in 2020.
- How does Kuwait rank for homicides?
- Kuwait ranks 145th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is down 81.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.