Homicides in Japan
Japan: Homicides was 226.32 deaths in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicides in Japan, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Japan stood at 226.32 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.4% on the previous year and down 50.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Japan peaked at 828.05 deaths in 2000 and was at its lowest, 226.32 deaths, in 2021.
That places Japan 106th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides in Japan, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 828.05 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 787.35 deaths | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 788.4 deaths | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 756.64 deaths | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 707.06 deaths | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 642.41 deaths | -9.1% |
| 2006 | 630.2 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 564.53 deaths | -10.4% |
| 2008 | 601.42 deaths | +6.5% |
| 2009 | 515.64 deaths | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 471.86 deaths | -8.5% |
| 2011 | 455.73 deaths | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 444.74 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 361.5 deaths | -18.7% |
| 2014 | 386.57 deaths | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 343.82 deaths | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 318.21 deaths | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 299.39 deaths | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 284.11 deaths | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 265.85 deaths | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 244.53 deaths | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 226.32 deaths | -7.4% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 226.32 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 3.2× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Japan's 226.32 deaths is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 123.38 deaths, 1.8× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 682.17 deaths | 515.64 deaths | 828.05 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 363.18 deaths | 265.85 deaths | 471.86 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 235.43 deaths | 226.32 deaths | 244.53 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More social development data for Japan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 42,450 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 56 (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 56 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 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 Japan?
- Homicides in Japan was 226.32 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 828.05 deaths in 2000.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 226.32 deaths in 2021.
- How does Japan rank for homicides?
- Japan ranks 106th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.