Homicides in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Homicides was 258 deaths in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
258 deaths
Change on year
up 24.6%
World rank
34th
of 113 countries
All-time high
851 deaths
in 1976
All-time low
118 deaths
in 2016
Years of data
72
1950–2021
Homicides in United Kingdom, 1950–2021
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 258 deaths for homicides in 2021.
The figure is up 24.6% on the previous year and up 34.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in United Kingdom peaked at 851 deaths in 1976 and was at its lowest, 118 deaths, in 2016.
That places United Kingdom 34th out of 113 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 72 years of available data.
Homicides in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 247 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 208 deaths | -15.8% |
| 1952 | 219 deaths | +5.3% |
| 1953 | 225 deaths | +2.7% |
| 1954 | 234 deaths | +4.0% |
| 1955 | 214 deaths | -8.5% |
| 1956 | 209 deaths | -2.3% |
| 1957 | 281 deaths | +34.4% |
| 1958 | 267 deaths | -5.0% |
| 1959 | 273 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1960 | 277 deaths | +1.5% |
| 1961 | 286 deaths | +3.2% |
| 1962 | 318 deaths | +11.2% |
| 1963 | 295 deaths | -7.2% |
| 1964 | 320 deaths | +8.5% |
| 1965 | 335 deaths | +4.7% |
| 1966 | 394 deaths | +17.6% |
| 1967 | 402 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 411 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 409 deaths | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 418 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 486 deaths | +16.3% |
| 1972 | 515 deaths | +6.0% |
| 1973 | 677 deaths | +31.5% |
| 1974 | 758 deaths | +12.0% |
| 1975 | 741 deaths | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 851 deaths | +14.8% |
| 1977 | 767 deaths | -9.9% |
| 1978 | 777 deaths | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 667 deaths | -14.2% |
| 1980 | 545 deaths | -18.3% |
| 1981 | 371 deaths | -31.9% |
| 1982 | 517 deaths | +39.4% |
| 1983 | 494 deaths | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 507 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 471 deaths | -7.1% |
| 1986 | 466 deaths | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 549 deaths | +17.8% |
| 1988 | 575 deaths | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 634 deaths | +10.3% |
| 1990 | 413 deaths | -34.9% |
| 1991 | 425 deaths | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 503 deaths | +18.4% |
| 1993 | 710 deaths | +41.2% |
| 1994 | 588 deaths | -17.2% |
| 1995 | 571 deaths | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 493 deaths | -13.7% |
| 1997 | 401 deaths | -18.7% |
| 1998 | 415 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1999 | 440 deaths | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 529 deaths | +20.2% |
| 2001 | 237 deaths | -55.2% |
| 2002 | 269 deaths | +13.5% |
| 2003 | 277 deaths | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 288 deaths | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 253 deaths | -12.2% |
| 2006 | 262 deaths | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 239 deaths | -8.8% |
| 2008 | 212 deaths | -11.3% |
| 2009 | 193 deaths | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 183 deaths | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 192 deaths | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 151 deaths | -21.4% |
| 2013 | 147 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 133 deaths | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 124 deaths | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 118 deaths | -4.8% |
| 2017 | 325 deaths | +175.4% |
| 2018 | 369 deaths | +13.5% |
| 2019 | 307 deaths | -16.8% |
| 2020 | 207 deaths | -32.6% |
| 2021 | 258 deaths | +24.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 258 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 63 deaths, 4.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 258 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 63.5 deaths, 4.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +175.4% | 118 deaths | 325 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 237.7 deaths | 208 deaths | 281 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 344.7 deaths | 277 deaths | 411 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 665.7 deaths | 418 deaths | 851 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 512.9 deaths | 371 deaths | 634 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 495.9 deaths | 401 deaths | 710 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 275.9 deaths | 193 deaths | 529 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 204.9 deaths | 118 deaths | 369 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 232.5 deaths | 207 deaths | 258 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (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 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 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 United Kingdom?
- Homicides in United Kingdom was 258 deaths in 2021, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 851 deaths in 1976.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 118 deaths in 2016.
- How does United Kingdom rank for homicides?
- United Kingdom ranks 34th out of 113 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.