Homicides in France
France: Homicides was 477 deaths in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
477 deaths
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
25th
of 113 countries
All-time high
1,009 deaths
in 1961
All-time low
248 deaths
in 2017
Years of data
73
1950–2022
Homicides in France, 1950–2022
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2022, homicides in France stood at 477 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.0% on the previous year and up 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in France peaked at 1,009 deaths in 1961 and was at its lowest, 248 deaths, in 2017.
France ranks 25th of 113 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Homicides in France, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 320 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 320 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 252 deaths | -21.2% |
| 1953 | 277 deaths | +9.9% |
| 1954 | 251 deaths | -9.4% |
| 1955 | 303 deaths | +20.7% |
| 1956 | 347 deaths | +14.5% |
| 1957 | 845 deaths | +143.5% |
| 1958 | 981 deaths | +16.1% |
| 1959 | 851 deaths | -13.3% |
| 1960 | 716 deaths | -15.9% |
| 1961 | 1,009 deaths | +40.9% |
| 1962 | 720 deaths | -28.6% |
| 1963 | 362 deaths | -49.7% |
| 1964 | 396 deaths | +9.4% |
| 1965 | 378 deaths | -4.5% |
| 1966 | 346 deaths | -8.5% |
| 1967 | 445 deaths | +28.6% |
| 1968 | 369 deaths | -17.1% |
| 1969 | 422 deaths | +14.4% |
| 1970 | 374 deaths | -11.4% |
| 1971 | 396 deaths | +5.9% |
| 1972 | 450 deaths | +13.6% |
| 1973 | 417 deaths | -7.3% |
| 1974 | 495 deaths | +18.7% |
| 1975 | 534 deaths | +7.9% |
| 1976 | 479 deaths | -10.3% |
| 1977 | 522 deaths | +9.0% |
| 1978 | 540 deaths | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 577 deaths | +6.9% |
| 1980 | 545 deaths | -5.5% |
| 1981 | 546 deaths | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 619 deaths | +13.4% |
| 1983 | 685 deaths | +10.7% |
| 1984 | 723 deaths | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 694 deaths | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 657 deaths | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 603 deaths | -8.2% |
| 1988 | 558 deaths | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 630 deaths | +12.9% |
| 1990 | 614 deaths | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 625 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 581 deaths | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 623 deaths | +7.2% |
| 1994 | 649 deaths | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 624 deaths | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 595 deaths | -4.6% |
| 1997 | 551 deaths | -7.4% |
| 1998 | 436 deaths | -20.9% |
| 1999 | 419 deaths | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 503 deaths | +20.0% |
| 2001 | 489 deaths | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 482 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 452 deaths | -6.2% |
| 2004 | 466 deaths | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 435 deaths | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 415 deaths | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 374 deaths | -9.9% |
| 2008 | 443 deaths | +18.4% |
| 2009 | 476 deaths | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 405 deaths | -14.9% |
| 2011 | 396 deaths | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 398 deaths | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 395 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 285 deaths | -27.8% |
| 2015 | 301 deaths | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 276 deaths | -8.3% |
| 2017 | 248 deaths | -10.1% |
| 2018 | 395 deaths | +59.3% |
| 2019 | 414 deaths | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 425 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 482 deaths | +13.4% |
| 2022 | 477 deaths | -1.0% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 477 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 7.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- France's 477 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.5 deaths, 7.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides in France changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | +143.5% | 347 deaths | 845 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 474.7 deaths | 251 deaths | 981 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 516.3 deaths | 346 deaths | 1,009 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 478.4 deaths | 374 deaths | 577 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 626 deaths | 545 deaths | 723 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 571.7 deaths | 419 deaths | 649 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 453.5 deaths | 374 deaths | 503 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 351.3 deaths | 248 deaths | 414 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 461.33 deaths | 425 deaths | 482 deaths | 3 |
Countries ranked near France
More social development data for France
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 788,419 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 166 (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 166 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0115 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 France?
- Homicides in France was 477 deaths in 2022, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 1,009 deaths in 1961.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 248 deaths in 2017.
- How does France rank for homicides?
- France ranks 25th out of 113 countries with data for 2022.
- Is homicides rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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
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About this data
Annual number of homicides.