Homicides in Malawi
Malawi: Homicides was 372.35 deaths in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicides in Malawi, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Malawi stood at 372.35 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and down 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Malawi peaked at 807.17 deaths in 2001 and was at its lowest, 372.35 deaths, in 2021.
Malawi ranks 96th 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 781.69 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 807.17 deaths | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 647.75 deaths | -19.8% |
| 2003 | 507.55 deaths | -21.6% |
| 2004 | 507.19 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 480.63 deaths | -5.2% |
| 2006 | 690.72 deaths | +43.7% |
| 2007 | 698.14 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 696.74 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 540.48 deaths | -22.4% |
| 2010 | 483.93 deaths | -10.5% |
| 2011 | 459.85 deaths | -5.0% |
| 2012 | 404.39 deaths | -12.1% |
| 2013 | 415.36 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 432.8 deaths | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 444.21 deaths | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 456.08 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 466.94 deaths | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 417.24 deaths | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 406.42 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 389.17 deaths | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 372.35 deaths | -4.3% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 372.35 deaths is below the median for low income countries, which is 1,070 deaths, 35% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 372.35 deaths is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 971.62 deaths, 38% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 635.81 deaths | 480.63 deaths | 807.17 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 438.72 deaths | 404.39 deaths | 483.93 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 380.76 deaths | 372.35 deaths | 389.17 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More social development data for Malawi
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 35,241 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 551 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate -33.33 % 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 551 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0016 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 Malawi?
- Homicides in Malawi was 372.35 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 807.17 deaths in 2001.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 372.35 deaths in 2021.
- How does Malawi rank for homicides?
- Malawi ranks 96th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.