Homicides in Denmark
Denmark: Homicides was 71.2 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Denmark, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Denmark stood at 71.2 deaths.
That represents a change of up 5.4% on the previous year and up 53.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Denmark peaked at 75.25 deaths in 2000 and was at its lowest, 37.85 deaths, in 2004.
Denmark ranks 135th 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 Denmark, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 75.25 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 53.93 deaths | -28.3% |
| 2002 | 54.44 deaths | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 64.54 deaths | +18.6% |
| 2004 | 37.85 deaths | -41.4% |
| 2005 | 63.02 deaths | +66.5% |
| 2006 | 40.65 deaths | -35.5% |
| 2007 | 50.5 deaths | +24.2% |
| 2008 | 48.19 deaths | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 48.85 deaths | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 45.7 deaths | -6.4% |
| 2011 | 46.37 deaths | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 49.91 deaths | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 53.67 deaths | +7.5% |
| 2014 | 60.61 deaths | +12.9% |
| 2015 | 60.02 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 61 deaths | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 64.75 deaths | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 61.96 deaths | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 63.01 deaths | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 67.56 deaths | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 71.2 deaths | +5.4% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 71.2 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 1.0× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 71.2 deaths is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 100.82 deaths, 71% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Homicides in Denmark 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +66.5% | 37.85 deaths | 63.02 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 53.72 deaths | 37.85 deaths | 75.25 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.7 deaths | 45.7 deaths | 64.75 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.38 deaths | 67.56 deaths | 71.2 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 132 Portugal 84.93 deaths compare
- 133 Cape Verde 81.51 deaths compare
- 134 Bulgaria 74.49 deaths compare
- 136 Georgia 70.88 deaths compare
- 137 East Timor 68.38 deaths compare
- 138 United Arab Emirates 65.85 deaths compare
More social development data for Denmark
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 95,007 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 21 (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 21 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0158 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 Denmark?
- Homicides in Denmark was 71.2 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 75.25 deaths in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.85 deaths in 2004.
- How does Denmark rank for homicides?
- Denmark ranks 135th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is up 53.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Denmark 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.