Share of deaths from homicide in South Africa
South Africa: Share of deaths from homicide was 1.16 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of deaths from homicide in South Africa, 1996–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of deaths from homicide in South Africa stood at 1.16.
The figure is down 29.8% on the previous year and up 24.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of deaths from homicide in South Africa peaked at 1.75 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0781, in 1996.
South Africa ranks 23rd of 113 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Share of deaths from homicide in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.0781 | — |
| 1997 | 0.4269 | +446.9% |
| 1998 | 0.3712 | -13.0% |
| 1999 | 0.767 | +106.6% |
| 2000 | 0.5122 | -33.2% |
| 2001 | 0.8331 | +62.7% |
| 2002 | 0.4346 | -47.8% |
| 2003 | 0.4652 | +7.0% |
| 2004 | 0.7442 | +59.9% |
| 2005 | 0.8374 | +12.5% |
| 2006 | 0.8852 | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 0.9396 | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 0.9234 | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 0.8886 | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 0.9302 | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 0.9697 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 1 | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 1.09 | +9.0% |
| 2014 | 1.17 | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 1.56 | +33.5% |
| 2016 | 1.7 | +8.8% |
| 2017 | 1.75 | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.67 | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 1.65 | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.16 | -29.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.16 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.3419, 3.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of deaths from homicide in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +446.9% | 0.0781 | 0.4269 |
| 1999 | +106.6% | 0.3712 | 0.767 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4108 | 0.0781 | 0.767 | 4 |
| 2000s | 0.7464 | 0.4346 | 0.9396 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.35 | 0.9302 | 1.75 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.16 | 1.16 | 1.16 | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.046 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of deaths from homicide in South Africa?
- Share of deaths from homicide in South Africa was 1.16 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of deaths from homicide recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.75 in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of deaths from homicide recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0781 in 1996.
- How does South Africa rank for share of deaths from homicide?
- South Africa ranks 23rd out of 113 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of deaths from homicide rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of deaths from homicide. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).