Homicides in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Homicides was 742 homicides in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Homicides in Sri Lanka, 1990–2019
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
Sri Lanka recorded 742 homicides for homicides in 2019.
That represents a change of up 44.4% on the previous year and down 32.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Sri Lanka peaked at 2,044 homicides in 2006 and was at its lowest, 486 homicides, in 2017.
Sri Lanka ranks 46th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,829 homicides | 1,614 homicides | 1,985 homicides | 5 |
| 2000s | 1,591 homicides | 1,099 homicides | 2,044 homicides | 4 |
| 2010s | 610.2 homicides | 486 homicides | 763 homicides | 10 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 148,369 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.783 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.871 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.853 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.783 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.52 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.613 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Sri Lanka?
- Homicides in Sri Lanka was 742 homicides in 2019, 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 2,044 homicides in 2006.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 486 homicides in 2017.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for homicides?
- Sri Lanka ranks 46th out of 179 countries with data for 2019.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.