Homicides in Switzerland
Switzerland: Homicides was 53 homicides in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
53 homicides
Change on year
up 26.2%
World rank
112th
of 179 countries
All-time high
110 homicides
in 1990
All-time low
41 homicides
in 2014
Years of data
28
1990–2023
Homicides in Switzerland, 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
In 2023, homicides in Switzerland stood at 53 homicides.
The figure is up 26.2% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Switzerland peaked at 110 homicides in 1990 and was at its lowest, 41 homicides, in 2014.
That places Switzerland 112th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 28 years of available data.
Homicides in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 110 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 98 homicides | -10.9% |
| 1992 | 93 homicides | -5.1% |
| 1993 | 105 homicides | +12.9% |
| 1994 | 80 homicides | -23.8% |
| 1995 | 82 homicides | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 83 homicides | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 87 homicides | +4.8% |
| 1998 | 76 homicides | -12.6% |
| 1999 | 89 homicides | +17.1% |
| 2000 | 69 homicides | -22.5% |
| 2001 | 86 homicides | +24.6% |
| 2002 | 86 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 51 homicides | -40.7% |
| 2010 | 52 homicides | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 46 homicides | -11.5% |
| 2012 | 45 homicides | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 57 homicides | +26.7% |
| 2014 | 41 homicides | -28.1% |
| 2015 | 57 homicides | +39.0% |
| 2016 | 45 homicides | -21.1% |
| 2017 | 45 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 50 homicides | +11.1% |
| 2019 | 46 homicides | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 47 homicides | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 42 homicides | -10.6% |
| 2022 | 42 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 53 homicides | +26.2% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 53 homicides is above the median for high income countries, which is 52.5 homicides, 1.0× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 53 homicides is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 74.5 homicides, 71% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 90.3 homicides | 76 homicides | 110 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 73 homicides | 51 homicides | 86 homicides | 4 |
| 2010s | 48.4 homicides | 41 homicides | 57 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 46 homicides | 42 homicides | 53 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 109 Turkmenistan 63 homicides compare
- 110 Slovakia 62 homicides compare
- 111 Finland 55 homicides compare
- 113 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 52 homicides compare
- 113 United States Virgin Islands 52 homicides compare
- 115 Denmark 50 homicides compare
More social development data for Switzerland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 208,287 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (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 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0229 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 Switzerland?
- Homicides in Switzerland was 53 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 110 homicides in 1990.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 41 homicides in 2014.
- How does Switzerland rank for homicides?
- Switzerland ranks 112th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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 — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides.