Homicides in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Homicides was 857.99 deaths in 2021. ▼ Falling
Homicides in United Kingdom, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in United Kingdom stood at 857.99 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in United Kingdom peaked at 1,286 deaths in 2001 and was at its lowest, 857.99 deaths, in 2021.
That places United Kingdom 62nd 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,231 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 1,286 deaths | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 1,192 deaths | -7.3% |
| 2003 | 1,171 deaths | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1,223 deaths | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 1,151 deaths | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 1,080 deaths | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 1,085 deaths | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 1,051 deaths | -3.1% |
| 2009 | 1,009 deaths | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 1,014 deaths | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 923.68 deaths | -8.9% |
| 2012 | 931.52 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 908.44 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 899.43 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 886.28 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 962.8 deaths | +8.6% |
| 2017 | 973.46 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 884.08 deaths | -9.2% |
| 2019 | 867.71 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 870.45 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 857.99 deaths | -1.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 857.99 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 12.1× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 857.99 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 100.82 deaths, 8.5× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,148 deaths | 1,009 deaths | 1,286 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 925.13 deaths | 867.71 deaths | 1,014 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 864.22 deaths | 857.99 deaths | 870.45 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (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 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 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 United Kingdom?
- Homicides in United Kingdom was 857.99 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1,286 deaths in 2001.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 857.99 deaths in 2021.
- How does United Kingdom rank for homicides?
- United Kingdom ranks 62nd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.