Homicides in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Homicides was 757 homicides in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicides in United Kingdom, 1990–2021
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 2021, homicides in United Kingdom stood at 757 homicides.
That represents a change of up 18.8% on the previous year and up 18.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in United Kingdom peaked at 1,107 homicides in 2002 and was at its lowest, 584 homicides, in 2014.
That places United Kingdom 43rd out of 179 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 785.9 homicides | 729.98 homicides | 825 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 877 homicides | 703 homicides | 1,107 homicides | 8 |
| 2010s | 688.2 homicides | 584 homicides | 780 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 697 homicides | 637 homicides | 757 homicides | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 517 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.772 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.833 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.859 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.772 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.533 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.689 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in United Kingdom?
- Homicides in United Kingdom was 757 homicides in 2021, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1,107 homicides in 2002.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 584 homicides in 2014.
- How does United Kingdom rank for homicides?
- United Kingdom ranks 43rd out of 179 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides.