Homicides in South Korea
South Korea: Homicides was 385.27 deaths in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicides in South Korea, 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 South Korea is 385.27 deaths, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 34.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in South Korea peaked at 940.57 deaths in 2004 and was at its lowest, 385.27 deaths, in 2021.
South Korea ranks 93rd of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides in South Korea, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 872.52 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 824.26 deaths | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 839.45 deaths | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 906.97 deaths | +8.0% |
| 2004 | 940.57 deaths | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 937.84 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 860.82 deaths | -8.2% |
| 2007 | 753.17 deaths | -12.5% |
| 2008 | 737.11 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 728.43 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 664.24 deaths | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 587.46 deaths | -11.6% |
| 2012 | 565.44 deaths | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 595.24 deaths | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 539.24 deaths | -9.4% |
| 2015 | 545.01 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 457.42 deaths | -16.1% |
| 2017 | 431.47 deaths | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 419.5 deaths | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 434.24 deaths | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 414.24 deaths | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 385.27 deaths | -7.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 385.27 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 5.4× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 385.27 deaths is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 123.38 deaths, 3.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 840.11 deaths | 728.43 deaths | 940.57 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 523.93 deaths | 419.5 deaths | 664.24 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 399.75 deaths | 385.27 deaths | 414.24 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More social development data for South Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,407 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 117 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (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 117 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in South Korea?
- Homicides in South Korea was 385.27 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 940.57 deaths in 2004.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 385.27 deaths in 2021.
- How does South Korea rank for homicides?
- South Korea ranks 93rd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea 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.