Homicides in Malaysia
Malaysia: Homicides was 45 deaths in 2020. ▼ Falling
Homicides in Malaysia, 2000–2020
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Malaysia is 45 deaths, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is down 6.2% on the previous year and down 75.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Malaysia peaked at 303 deaths in 2007 and was at its lowest, 45 deaths, in 2020.
That places Malaysia 69th out of 113 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Homicides in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 140 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 237 deaths | +69.3% |
| 2002 | 205 deaths | -13.5% |
| 2003 | 211 deaths | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 230 deaths | +9.0% |
| 2005 | 207 deaths | -10.0% |
| 2006 | 279 deaths | +34.8% |
| 2007 | 303 deaths | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 231 deaths | -23.8% |
| 2009 | 213 deaths | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 186 deaths | -12.7% |
| 2011 | 169 deaths | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 217 deaths | +28.4% |
| 2013 | 133 deaths | -38.7% |
| 2014 | 132 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 105 deaths | -20.5% |
| 2016 | 97 deaths | -7.6% |
| 2017 | 69 deaths | -28.9% |
| 2018 | 66 deaths | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 48 deaths | -27.3% |
| 2020 | 45 deaths | -6.2% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 45 deaths is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 135 deaths, 33% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 45 deaths is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 130.5 deaths, 34% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 225.6 deaths | 140 deaths | 303 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 122.2 deaths | 48 deaths | 217 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 45 deaths | 45 deaths | 45 deaths | 1 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 66 Lithuania 49 deaths compare
- 67 Latvia 48 deaths compare
- 68 Bosnia and Herzegovina 46 deaths compare
- 70 Saint Lucia 43 deaths compare
- 71 Switzerland 42 deaths compare
- 72 Denmark 39 deaths compare
- 72 Slovakia 39 deaths compare
- 72 Tajikistan 39 deaths compare
More social development data for Malaysia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 150,164 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,477 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,477 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0042 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 Malaysia?
- Homicides in Malaysia was 45 deaths in 2020, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 303 deaths in 2007.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45 deaths in 2020.
- How does Malaysia rank for homicides?
- Malaysia ranks 69th out of 113 countries with data for 2020.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 75.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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 — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual number of homicides.