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.
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
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 517 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Key features of democracy 0.772 (2025)
- Freedom of Expression Index 0.833 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.859 (2025)
- Electoral Democracy Index 0.772 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.533 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.689 (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.