Homicides in Benin
Benin: Homicides was 748.76 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Benin, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Benin is 748.76 deaths, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 20.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Benin peaked at 748.76 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 507.74 deaths, in 2000.
Benin ranks 67th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides in Benin, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 507.74 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 519.89 deaths | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 530.12 deaths | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 542.97 deaths | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 555.69 deaths | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 569.71 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 576.32 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 581.15 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 586.65 deaths | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 592.57 deaths | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 600.11 deaths | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 620.51 deaths | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 640.41 deaths | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 650.6 deaths | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 667.24 deaths | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 680.45 deaths | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 694.33 deaths | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 699.6 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 714.02 deaths | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 726.13 deaths | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 737.25 deaths | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 748.76 deaths | +1.6% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 748.76 deaths is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 743.83 deaths, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Benin's 748.76 deaths is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 971.62 deaths, 77% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 556.28 deaths | 507.74 deaths | 592.57 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 669.34 deaths | 600.11 deaths | 726.13 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 743 deaths | 737.25 deaths | 748.76 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More social development data for Benin
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 16,974 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,279 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (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 1,279 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 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 Benin?
- Homicides in Benin was 748.76 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 748.76 deaths in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 507.74 deaths in 2000.
- How does Benin rank for homicides?
- Benin ranks 67th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.