Homicides in Australia
Australia: Homicides was 235 deaths in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
235 deaths
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
37th
of 113 countries
All-time high
374 deaths
in 1990
All-time low
85 deaths
in 1950
Years of data
73
1950–2023
Homicides in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Australia is 235 deaths, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Australia peaked at 374 deaths in 1990 and was at its lowest, 85 deaths, in 1950.
Australia ranks 37th of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 73 years of available data.
Homicides in Australia, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 85 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 114 deaths | +34.1% |
| 1952 | 127 deaths | +11.4% |
| 1953 | 115 deaths | -9.4% |
| 1954 | 117 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1955 | 129 deaths | +10.3% |
| 1956 | 125 deaths | -3.1% |
| 1957 | 127 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 150 deaths | +18.1% |
| 1959 | 149 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1960 | 151 deaths | +1.3% |
| 1961 | 142 deaths | -6.0% |
| 1962 | 165 deaths | +16.2% |
| 1963 | 148 deaths | -10.3% |
| 1964 | 168 deaths | +13.5% |
| 1965 | 163 deaths | -3.0% |
| 1966 | 154 deaths | -5.5% |
| 1967 | 163 deaths | +5.8% |
| 1968 | 191 deaths | +17.2% |
| 1969 | 157 deaths | -17.8% |
| 1970 | 191 deaths | +21.7% |
| 1971 | 233 deaths | +22.0% |
| 1972 | 221 deaths | -5.2% |
| 1973 | 256 deaths | +15.8% |
| 1974 | 245 deaths | -4.3% |
| 1975 | 227 deaths | -7.3% |
| 1976 | 285 deaths | +25.6% |
| 1977 | 272 deaths | -4.6% |
| 1978 | 258 deaths | -5.1% |
| 1979 | 265 deaths | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 280 deaths | +5.7% |
| 1981 | 282 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 299 deaths | +6.0% |
| 1983 | 274 deaths | -8.4% |
| 1984 | 314 deaths | +14.6% |
| 1985 | 314 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 311 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 346 deaths | +11.3% |
| 1988 | 335 deaths | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 307 deaths | -8.4% |
| 1990 | 374 deaths | +21.8% |
| 1991 | 340 deaths | -9.1% |
| 1992 | 301 deaths | -11.5% |
| 1993 | 326 deaths | +8.3% |
| 1994 | 323 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 298 deaths | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 323 deaths | +8.4% |
| 1997 | 317 deaths | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 295 deaths | -6.9% |
| 1999 | 296 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 306 deaths | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 308 deaths | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 287 deaths | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 257 deaths | -10.5% |
| 2004 | 162 deaths | -37.0% |
| 2006 | 258 deaths | +59.3% |
| 2007 | 219 deaths | -15.1% |
| 2008 | 251 deaths | +14.6% |
| 2009 | 274 deaths | +9.2% |
| 2010 | 244 deaths | -10.9% |
| 2011 | 245 deaths | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 286 deaths | +16.7% |
| 2013 | 248 deaths | -13.3% |
| 2014 | 274 deaths | +10.5% |
| 2015 | 282 deaths | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 262 deaths | -7.1% |
| 2017 | 211 deaths | -19.5% |
| 2018 | 254 deaths | +20.4% |
| 2019 | 253 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 254 deaths | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 219 deaths | -13.8% |
| 2022 | 236 deaths | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 235 deaths | -0.4% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 235 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 3.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Australia's 235 deaths is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 130.5 deaths, 1.8× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 123.8 deaths | 85 deaths | 150 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 160.2 deaths | 142 deaths | 191 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 245.3 deaths | 191 deaths | 285 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 306.2 deaths | 274 deaths | 346 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 319.3 deaths | 295 deaths | 374 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 258 deaths | 162 deaths | 308 deaths | 9 |
| 2010s | 255.9 deaths | 211 deaths | 286 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 236 deaths | 219 deaths | 254 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More social development data for Australia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41 (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 41 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 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 Australia?
- Homicides in Australia was 235 deaths in 2023, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 374 deaths in 1990.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 85 deaths in 1950.
- How does Australia rank for homicides?
- Australia ranks 37th out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (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 — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.