Murder Rate by Country 2022
Top 10 Countries with the Highest Murder Rates (per 100k people) in 2017:*
- El Salvador (61.7)
- Honduras (41.0)
- Venezuela (49.9)
- United States Virgin Islands (49.3 [2012 data])
- Jamaica (56.4)
- Lesotho (43.6 [[2016 data]] per 100k people)
- Belize (37.8)
- Saint Vincent And The Grenadines (36.5 [2016 data])
- Saint Kitts And Nevis (36.1 [2012 data])
- South Africa (35.7)
*Scroll down for a fully updated and ranked list of every country with available murder rate data.
While 2017’s global murder rate was 6.1 (per 100k people), murder rates varied widely across the globe. Central America and the Caribbean were global hotspots, with countries such as El Salvador (61.7), Honduras (41), and Jamaica (56.4) posting murder rates up to 10 times higher than the global average. The South American countries Brazil (30.8), Venezuela (49.9), and Colombia (25) followed close behind. Even with the rest of South America and North America posting lower rates, the overall average for the Americas as a whole rose to 17.2. Africa’s rate came in at 13.0, but with the major caveat that “the raw statistics for many countries are not available.” Similarly, Oceania posted an impressive rate of 2.8, but official homicide reports “tend to deviate substantially from information on violence contained in hospital records,” suggesting that many homicides may be going unreported to the police. Finally, Europe (3.0) and Asia (2.3) displayed rates of less than half the global average.
Factors known to contribute to lower murder rates and decreased crime overall include the wealth of a nation, the effectiveness of its law enforcement, the availability of weapons (especially firearms), and the severity of punishment for committing murder. For instance, Japan is a fairly wealthy nation with very strict regulations regarding gun possession and murder is punishable by hanging.
Top 10 Countries with the Lowest Murder Rates (per 100k people) in 2017:
- Japan (0.2)
- Singapore (0.2)
- Hong Kong (China) (0.3)
- Luxembourg (0.3)
- Indonesia (0.4)
- Norway (0.5)
- Oman (0.5)
- Switzerland (0.5)
- United Arab Emirates (0.5)
- China (0.6)
Below is a list of each country’s homicide rate (number of murders per 100,000 people). Note that accidental deaths and cases of “self-inflicted murder”, more commonly called suicide, are not included in these statistics.
Here are the 10 countries with the highest homicide rates:
- El Salvador (52.02 per 100k people)
- Jamaica (43.85 per 100k people)
- Lesotho (43.56 per 100k people)
- Honduras (38.93 per 100k people)
- Belize (37.79 per 100k people)
- Venezuela (36.69 per 100k people)
- Saint Vincent And the Grenadines (36.54 per 100k people)
- South Africa (36.40 per 100k people)
- Saint Kitts And Nevis (36.09 per 100k people)
- Nigeria (34.52 per 100k people)
Country | Homicide Rate | Homicide Count | Measurement Year |
---|---|---|---|
El Salvador | 52.02 | 3,340 | 2018 |
Jamaica | 43.85 | 1,287 | 2018 |
Lesotho | 43.56 | 897 | 2015 |
Honduras | 38.93 | 3,732 | 2018 |
Belize | 37.79 | 142 | 2017 |
Venezuela | 36.69 | 10,598 | 2018 |
Saint Vincent And the Grenadines | 36.54 | 40 | 2016 |
South Africa | 36.40 | 21,036 | 2018 |
Saint Kitts And Nevis | 36.09 | 18 | 2012 |
Nigeria | 34.52 | 64,201 | 2016 |
Bahamas | 31.96 | 122 | 2017 |
Trinidad And Tobago | 30.65 | 420 | 2015 |
Mexico | 29.07 | 36,685 | 2018 |
Anguilla | 28.34 | 4 | 2014 |
Saint Martin | 27.73 | 10 | 2016 |
Brazil | 27.38 | 57,358 | 2018 |
Dominica | 26.59 | 19 | 2017 |
Colombia | 25.34 | 12,586 | 2018 |
Guatemala | 22.50 | 3,881 | 2018 |
Saint Lucia | 21.44 | 39 | 2018 |
Puerto Rico | 21.09 | 641 | 2018 |
Montserrat | 20.28 | 1 | 2012 |
Central African Republic | 20.12 | 913 | 2016 |
Curacao | 19.04 | 26 | 2007 |
Tuvalu | 18.62 | 2 | 2012 |
Namibia | 17.68 | 388 | 2012 |
Saint Pierre And Miquelon | 15.77 | 1 | 2009 |
Botswana | 15.25 | 303 | 2010 |
South Sudan | 14.87 | 1,504 | 2012 |
Guyana | 14.25 | 111 | 2018 |
French Guiana | 13.18 | 30 | 2009 |
Seychelles | 12.54 | 12 | 2016 |
Uruguay | 12.06 | 416 | 2018 |
Eswatini | 11.56 | 130 | 2017 |
Costa Rica | 11.26 | 563 | 2018 |
Palau | 11.17 | 2 | 2018 |
Antigua And Barbuda | 11.06 | 10 | 2012 |
Grenada | 10.82 | 12 | 2017 |
Uganda | 10.52 | 4,497 | 2018 |
Iraq | 10.07 | 3,339 | 2013 |
Dominican Republic | 10.05 | 1,068 | 2018 |
Barbados | 9.77 | 28 | 2018 |
Papua New Guinea | 9.75 | 713 | 2010 |
Panama | 9.39 | 392 | 2018 |
Ethiopia | 8.79 | 8,153 | 2012 |
British Virgin Islands | 8.33 | 2 | 2006 |
Cayman Islands | 8.22 | 5 | 2014 |
Russia | 8.21 | 11,964 | 2018 |
Bermuda | 8.14 | 5 | 2017 |
Peru | 7.91 | 2,487 | 2017 |
Kiribati | 7.52 | 8 | 2012 |
Zimbabwe | 7.48 | 981 | 2012 |
Nicaragua | 7.19 | 453 | 2016 |
Paraguay | 7.14 | 497 | 2018 |
Yemen | 6.77 | 1,703 | 2013 |
Haiti | 6.68 | 743 | 2018 |
Afghanistan | 6.66 | 2,474 | 2018 |
Tanzania | 6.48 | 3,439 | 2016 |
Philippines | 6.46 | 6,895 | 2018 |
Bolivia | 6.22 | 686 | 2016 |
Ukraine | 6.18 | 2,751 | 2017 |
Mongolia | 6.18 | 196 | 2018 |
Burundi | 6.05 | 635 | 2016 |
Mayotte | 5.93 | 12 | 2009 |
Ecuador | 5.80 | 991 | 2018 |
Guadeloupe | 5.75 | 23 | 2016 |
Turks And Caicos Islands | 5.65 | 2 | 2014 |
Suriname | 5.43 | 31 | 2017 |
American Samoa | 5.38 | 3 | 2016 |
Zambia | 5.37 | 853 | 2015 |
Argentina | 5.32 | 2,362 | 2018 |
Greenland | 5.32 | 3 | 2016 |
Sudan | 5.15 | 1,702 | 2008 |
Kazakhstan | 5.06 | 915 | 2017 |
Cuba | 5.05 | 572 | 2016 |
United States | 4.96 | 16,214 | 2018 |
Kenya | 4.93 | 2,533 | 2018 |
Angola | 4.85 | 1,217 | 2012 |
Lithuania | 4.57 | 128 | 2018 |
Niger | 4.43 | 788 | 2012 |
Chile | 4.40 | 825 | 2018 |
Latvia | 4.36 | 84 | 2018 |
Turkmenistan | 4.22 | 203 | 2006 |
Moldova | 4.10 | 166 | 2018 |
Timor Leste | 4.10 | 49 | 2015 |
Marshall Islands | 3.98 | 2 | 1994 |
Pakistan | 3.88 | 8,241 | 2018 |
Solomon Islands | 3.77 | 19 | 2008 |
Mozambique | 3.51 | 849 | 2011 |
Cook Islands | 3.49 | 1 | 2012 |
Liberia | 3.26 | 135 | 2012 |
Sao Tome And Principe | 3.25 | 6 | 2011 |
New Caledonia | 3.20 | 8 | 2009 |
Samoa | 3.15 | 6 | 2013 |
India | 3.08 | 41,651 | 2018 |
Tunisia | 3.06 | 332 | 2012 |
Gibraltar | 2.98 | 1 | 2010 |
Mauritius | 2.92 | 37 | 2018 |
Martinique | 2.77 | 11 | 2009 |
Liechtenstein | 2.64 | 1 | 2018 |
Turkey | 2.59 | 2,133 | 2018 |
Thailand | 2.58 | 1,787 | 2017 |
Rwanda | 2.58 | 293 | 2015 |
Egypt | 2.55 | 2,207 | 2012 |
Guam | 2.50 | 4 | 2011 |
Iran | 2.50 | 1,936 | 2014 |
Lebanon | 2.49 | 171 | 2018 |
Hungary | 2.49 | 242 | 2017 |
Sri Lanka | 2.42 | 514 | 2018 |
Belarus | 2.39 | 226 | 2018 |
Bangladesh | 2.37 | 3,830 | 2018 |
Fiji | 2.31 | 20 | 2014 |
Nepal | 2.30 | 627 | 2016 |
Albania | 2.29 | 66 | 2018 |
Myanmar | 2.26 | 1,198 | 2016 |
Montenegro | 2.23 | 14 | 2018 |
Georgia | 2.22 | 89 | 2018 |
Azerbaijan | 2.20 | 219 | 2018 |
Kyrgyzstan | 2.19 | 138 | 2018 |
Malaysia | 2.13 | 627 | 2013 |
Estonia | 2.12 | 28 | 2018 |
Ghana | 2.09 | 609 | 2017 |
Aruba | 1.93 | 2 | 2014 |
Cambodia | 1.84 | 268 | 2011 |
Kuwait | 1.82 | 61 | 2012 |
Reunion | 1.82 | 15 | 2009 |
Malawi | 1.81 | 279 | 2012 |
Canada | 1.76 | 651 | 2018 |
Sierra Leone | 1.73 | 124 | 2015 |
Armenia | 1.69 | 50 | 2018 |
Belgium | 1.69 | 193 | 2017 |
Tajikistan | 1.64 | 126 | 2011 |
Finland | 1.63 | 90 | 2018 |
Malta | 1.59 | 7 | 2018 |
Vietnam | 1.53 | 1,358 | 2011 |
Israel | 1.49 | 123 | 2017 |
Morocco | 1.42 | 510 | 2018 |
Cameroon | 1.39 | 341 | 2017 |
Algeria | 1.36 | 542 | 2015 |
Jordan | 1.36 | 133 | 2017 |
Bulgaria | 1.30 | 92 | 2018 |
Romania | 1.28 | 250 | 2018 |
Saudi Arabia | 1.27 | 419 | 2017 |
Cyprus | 1.26 | 15 | 2018 |
Burkina Faso | 1.25 | 240 | 2017 |
Serbia | 1.23 | 108 | 2018 |
United Kingdom | 1.20 | 809 | 2018 |
North Macedonia | 1.20 | 25 | 2018 |
France | 1.20 | 779 | 2018 |
Bhutan | 1.19 | 9 | 2018 |
Bosnia And Herzegovina | 1.17 | 39 | 2018 |
Guinea Bissau | 1.15 | 21 | 2017 |
Slovakia | 1.14 | 62 | 2018 |
Uzbekistan | 1.14 | 363 | 2017 |
Benin | 1.13 | 126 | 2017 |
Sweden | 1.08 | 108 | 2018 |
Denmark | 1.01 | 58 | 2018 |
Tonga | 0.97 | 1 | 2012 |
Austria | 0.97 | 86 | 2018 |
Germany | 0.95 | 788 | 2018 |
Greece | 0.94 | 99 | 2018 |
Australia | 0.89 | 222 | 2018 |
Iceland | 0.89 | 3 | 2018 |
Syria | 0.88 | 149 | 2018 |
Ireland | 0.87 | 42 | 2018 |
Taiwan | 0.82 | 192 | 2015 |
Portugal | 0.79 | 81 | 2018 |
New Zealand | 0.74 | 35 | 2017 |
Poland | 0.73 | 277 | 2018 |
Maldives | 0.72 | 3 | 2013 |
Hong Kong | 0.65 | 48 | 2018 |
Spain | 0.62 | 290 | 2018 |
South Korea | 0.60 | 309 | 2018 |
Switzerland | 0.59 | 50 | 2018 |
Netherlands | 0.59 | 100 | 2018 |
Croatia | 0.58 | 24 | 2018 |
Italy | 0.57 | 345 | 2018 |
China | 0.53 | 7,525 | 2018 |
Bahrain | 0.52 | 7 | 2014 |
Brunei | 0.49 | 2 | 2013 |
Palestine | 0.49 | 24 | 2018 |
Slovenia | 0.48 | 10 | 2018 |
Norway | 0.47 | 25 | 2018 |
United Arab Emirates | 0.46 | 44 | 2017 |
Indonesia | 0.43 | 1,150 | 2017 |
French Polynesia | 0.38 | 1 | 2009 |
Qatar | 0.37 | 9 | 2014 |
Luxembourg | 0.34 | 2 | 2017 |
Oman | 0.27 | 13 | 2018 |
Senegal | 0.27 | 39 | 2015 |
Japan | 0.26 | 334 | 2018 |
Singapore | 0.16 | 9 | 2018 |
San Marino | 0.00 | 2011 | |
Monaco | 0.00 | 2015 | |
Andorra | 0.00 | 2015 | |
Isle of Man | 0.00 | 2016 |