Homicides in Australia
Australia: Homicides was 235 deaths in 2023. ▲ Rising
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.
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
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 33,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 41 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.844 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.915 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.876 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.844 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.648 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.793 (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.