Homicides in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: Homicides was 491 deaths in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
491 deaths
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
24th
of 113 countries
All-time high
3,214 deaths
in 1995
All-time low
491 deaths
in 2023
Years of data
41
1981–2023
Homicides in Kazakhstan, 1981–2023
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Kazakhstan recorded 491 deaths for homicides in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 54.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Kazakhstan peaked at 3,214 deaths in 1995 and was at its lowest, 491 deaths, in 2023.
That places Kazakhstan 24th out of 113 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Homicides in Kazakhstan, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,489 deaths | — |
| 1982 | 1,440 deaths | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 1,245 deaths | -13.5% |
| 1986 | 907 deaths | -27.1% |
| 1987 | 1,046 deaths | +15.3% |
| 1988 | 1,164 deaths | +11.3% |
| 1989 | 1,673 deaths | +43.7% |
| 1990 | 1,970 deaths | +17.8% |
| 1991 | 2,045 deaths | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 2,448 deaths | +19.7% |
| 1993 | 2,986 deaths | +22.0% |
| 1994 | 2,985 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 3,214 deaths | +7.7% |
| 1996 | 2,986 deaths | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 2,818 deaths | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 2,724 deaths | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 2,448 deaths | -10.1% |
| 2000 | 2,475 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 2,306 deaths | -6.8% |
| 2002 | 1,962 deaths | -14.9% |
| 2003 | 2,211 deaths | +12.7% |
| 2004 | 2,413 deaths | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 2,177 deaths | -9.8% |
| 2006 | 2,032 deaths | -6.7% |
| 2007 | 1,957 deaths | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 1,791 deaths | -8.5% |
| 2009 | 1,543 deaths | -13.8% |
| 2010 | 1,464 deaths | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 1,525 deaths | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 1,400 deaths | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 1,080 deaths | -22.9% |
| 2014 | 1,022 deaths | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 1,046 deaths | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 947 deaths | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 908 deaths | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 889 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 778 deaths | -12.5% |
| 2020 | 674 deaths | -13.4% |
| 2021 | 584 deaths | -13.4% |
| 2022 | 493 deaths | -15.6% |
| 2023 | 491 deaths | -0.4% |
Kazakhstan compared with similar countries
- Kazakhstan's 491 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 135 deaths, 3.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Kazakhstan's 491 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.5 deaths, 7.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,281 deaths | 907 deaths | 1,673 deaths | 7 |
| 1990s | 2,662 deaths | 1,970 deaths | 3,214 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,087 deaths | 1,543 deaths | 2,475 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,106 deaths | 778 deaths | 1,525 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 560.5 deaths | 491 deaths | 674 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kazakhstan
More social development data for Kazakhstan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,377 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,144 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,144 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 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 Kazakhstan?
- Homicides in Kazakhstan was 491 deaths in 2023, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Kazakhstan?
- The highest recorded value was 3,214 deaths in 1995.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Kazakhstan?
- The lowest recorded value was 491 deaths in 2023.
- How does Kazakhstan rank for homicides?
- Kazakhstan ranks 24th out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Kazakhstan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kazakhstan 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 — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.