Homicides in Germany
Germany: Homicides was 371 deaths in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
371 deaths
Change on year
up 13.8%
World rank
29th
of 113 countries
All-time high
966 deaths
in 1993
All-time low
326 deaths
in 2019
Years of data
31
1990–2020
Homicides in Germany, 1990–2020
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Germany is 371 deaths, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 13.8% on the previous year and down 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Germany peaked at 966 deaths in 1993 and was at its lowest, 326 deaths, in 2019.
That places Germany 29th out of 113 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Homicides in Germany, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 800 deaths | — |
| 1991 | 916 deaths | +14.5% |
| 1992 | 949 deaths | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 966 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1994 | 954 deaths | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 926 deaths | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 885 deaths | -4.4% |
| 1997 | 752 deaths | -15.0% |
| 1998 | 709 deaths | -5.7% |
| 1999 | 720 deaths | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 603 deaths | -16.2% |
| 2001 | 567 deaths | -6.0% |
| 2002 | 605 deaths | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 554 deaths | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 528 deaths | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 454 deaths | -14.0% |
| 2006 | 484 deaths | +6.6% |
| 2007 | 452 deaths | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 444 deaths | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 441 deaths | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 482 deaths | +9.3% |
| 2011 | 432 deaths | -10.4% |
| 2012 | 407 deaths | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 398 deaths | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 370 deaths | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 434 deaths | +17.3% |
| 2016 | 377 deaths | -13.1% |
| 2017 | 360 deaths | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 338 deaths | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 326 deaths | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 371 deaths | +13.8% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 371 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 5.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Germany's 371 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.5 deaths, 5.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 857.7 deaths | 709 deaths | 966 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 513.2 deaths | 441 deaths | 605 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 392.4 deaths | 326 deaths | 482 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 371 deaths | 371 deaths | 371 deaths | 1 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More social development data for Germany
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.66 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 327 (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 327 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0318 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 Germany?
- Homicides in Germany was 371 deaths in 2020, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 966 deaths in 1993.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 326 deaths in 2019.
- How does Germany rank for homicides?
- Germany ranks 29th out of 113 countries with data for 2020.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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 — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.