Homicides in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Homicides was 396.92 deaths in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicides in Sri Lanka, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Sri Lanka stood at 396.92 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is down 10.6% on the previous year and down 57.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Sri Lanka peaked at 1,901 deaths in 2006 and was at its lowest, 396.92 deaths, in 2021.
Sri Lanka ranks 92nd 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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,522 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 1,533 deaths | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 1,545 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 1,558 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 1,607 deaths | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 1,652 deaths | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 1,901 deaths | +15.1% |
| 2007 | 1,808 deaths | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 1,726 deaths | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 1,347 deaths | -21.9% |
| 2010 | 1,075 deaths | -20.2% |
| 2011 | 926.23 deaths | -13.8% |
| 2012 | 824.49 deaths | -11.0% |
| 2013 | 743.62 deaths | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 678.31 deaths | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 630.45 deaths | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 615.14 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 596.43 deaths | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 541.37 deaths | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 499.11 deaths | -7.8% |
| 2020 | 443.75 deaths | -11.1% |
| 2021 | 396.92 deaths | -10.6% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 396.92 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 237.51 deaths, 1.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 396.92 deaths is below the median for South Asia, which is 546.09 deaths, 73% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,620 deaths | 1,347 deaths | 1,901 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 713 deaths | 499.11 deaths | 1,075 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 420.34 deaths | 396.92 deaths | 443.75 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More social development data for Sri Lanka
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 213 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0068 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 148,369 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Sri Lanka?
- Homicides in Sri Lanka was 396.92 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 1,901 deaths in 2006.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 396.92 deaths in 2021.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for homicides?
- Sri Lanka ranks 92nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 57.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.