Lowest murder rates in the world

What the data shows

• China ranks #1 with 0.50, ahead of Switzerland (0.48) and South Korea (0.47).

About this chart

This ranking lists the lowest intentional homicide rates, a narrow but widely used measure of safety. Bahrain is lowest at 0.07 per 100,000 people in 2021, then Singapore at 0.11, Japan at 0.23, Oman at 0.24 and Kuwait at 0.25 (2020). Gulf states and East Asian economies fill much of the list: Hong Kong (0.31), Qatar (0.32), the United Arab Emirates (0.45), South Korea (0.47) and China (0.50, 2020) also appear. Senegal, at 0.27 in 2015, is the one African entry.

The indicator is intentional homicides per 100,000 people, compiled by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and republished by the World Bank, for countries with more than 1 million people. Each country is shown at its most recent value from the last ten years, so Senegal's reading is much older than most. Homicide is only one part of safety, and recording and reporting practices vary between countries. Slovenia, Ireland, Czechia and Switzerland round out the European entries at 0.43 to 0.48.

The data

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5), intentional homicides per 100,000 people (UNODC); countries over 1 million people. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Each country's most recent value from the last ten years.