Rwanda vs South Africa: Death rate in armed conflicts based on where they occurred (Death)
Rwanda
0.0069 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2025
South Africa
0.0015 deaths per 100,000 people
in 2025
Rwanda rank
51st
South Africa rank
53rd
Death rate in armed conflicts based on where they occurred (Death) over time
- Rwanda
- South Africa
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 0.0069 deaths per 100,000 people against 0.0015 deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa, a difference of 0.0054 deaths per 100,000 people.
That makes Rwanda's figure about 4.4 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 15 times across 37 shared years of data; in 1989 it was South Africa ahead.
Rwanda ranks 51st and South Africa ranks 53rd of 196 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Rwanda | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.7091 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.7091 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1,165 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.08 deaths per 100,000 people | 1,163 deaths per 100,000 people | Rwanda |
| 2000s | 2.48 deaths per 100,000 people | 0 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.48 deaths per 100,000 people | Rwanda |
| 2010s | 0.0576 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0002 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0575 deaths per 100,000 people | Rwanda |
| 2020s | 0.0072 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0341 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.0269 deaths per 100,000 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher death rate in armed conflicts based on where they occurred, Rwanda or South Africa?
- Rwanda, at 0.0069 deaths per 100,000 people against 0.0015 deaths per 100,000 people in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in death rate in armed conflicts based on where they occurred between Rwanda and South Africa?
- 0.0054 deaths per 100,000 people, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and South Africa?
- 37 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2025.
- How do Rwanda and South Africa rank globally for death rate in armed conflicts based on where they occurred?
- Rwanda ranks 51st and South Africa ranks 53rd of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Uppsala Conflict Data Program (2026); geoBoundaries (2023); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Death rate in armed conflicts based on where they occurred. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Best estimate of the number of deaths of combatants and civilians due to fighting in interstate, intrastate, extrasystemic, non-state conflicts, and one-sided violence that were ongoing that year.