Which country in Europe has the highest homicide rate?

Russia has the highest homicide rate in Europe: 6.8 homicides per 100,000 people (2021). Next come Liechtenstein (5.1 homicides per 100,000 people) and Ukraine (3.8 homicides per 100,000 people).

Which country in Europe has the lowest homicide rate?

Switzerland, with 0.6 homicides per 100,000 people (2023).

What is the typical homicide rate of a country in Europe?

The median of the 41 countries in Europe is 1.1 homicides per 100,000 people: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

Intentional homicides in a year for every 100,000 people, from police and health records collected by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Records are uneven, so figures up to seven years old are shown. Source: World Bank, mostly 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in Europe by homicide rate

Intentional homicides in a year for every 100,000 people, from police and health records collected by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Records are uneven, so figures up to seven years old are shown. 41 countries in Europe, highest first. World Bank, mostly 2023

See it on the map

Map: Homicide rate — Europe — **0.71.11.83.66.8**16No data

Highest

6.8

Russia

Median country

1.1

half above, half below

Lowest

0.6

Switzerland

Countries in Europe by homicide rate, World Bank, mostly 2023
#	Country	Per 100,000 people	Year	Region
1	Russia	6.8	2021	Eastern Europe
2	Liechtenstein	5.1	2021	Western Europe
3	Ukraine	3.8	2021	Eastern Europe
=4	Andorra	2.6	2020	Southern Europe
=4	Lithuania	2.6	2023	Northern Europe
=6	Latvia	2.5	2023	Northern Europe
=6	Moldova	2.5	2023	Eastern Europe
8	Belarus	2.4	2019	Eastern Europe
=9	Estonia	1.5	2023	Northern Europe
=9	Luxembourg	1.5	2022	Western Europe
=9	North Macedonia	1.5	2023	Southern Europe
12	Albania	1.4	2023	Southern Europe
=13	France	1.3	2023	Western Europe
=13	Iceland	1.3	2023	Northern Europe
=13	Serbia	1.3	2023	Southern Europe
16	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1.2	2023	Southern Europe
=17	Belgium	1.1	2021	Western Europe
=17	Bulgaria	1.1	2023	Eastern Europe
=17	Romania	1.1	2023	Eastern Europe
=17	Slovakia	1.1	2023	Eastern Europe
=17	Sweden	1.1	2023	Northern Europe
=17	United Kingdom	1.1	2021	Northern Europe
23	Finland	1.0	2023	Northern Europe
=24	Austria	0.9	2023	Western Europe
=24	Germany	0.9	2023	Western Europe
=26	Czechia	0.8	2023	Eastern Europe
=26	Denmark	0.8	2023	Northern Europe
=26	Greece	0.8	2023	Southern Europe
=26	Montenegro	0.8	2023	Southern Europe
=26	Poland	0.8	2023	Eastern Europe
=31	Croatia	0.7	2023	Southern Europe
=31	Hungary	0.7	2023	Eastern Europe
=31	Ireland	0.7	2023	Northern Europe
=31	Netherlands	0.7	2023	Western Europe
=31	Norway	0.7	2023	Northern Europe
=31	Portugal	0.7	2022	Southern Europe
=31	Spain	0.7	2023	Southern Europe
=38	Italy	0.6	2023	Southern Europe
=38	Malta	0.6	2023	Southern Europe
=38	Slovenia	0.6	2023	Southern Europe
=38	Switzerland	0.6	2023	Western Europe

No World Bank figure for 3 countries: Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City.

Questions

Which country in Europe has the highest homicide rate?: Russia has the highest homicide rate in Europe: 6.8 homicides per 100,000 people (2021). Next come Liechtenstein (5.1 homicides per 100,000 people) and Ukraine (3.8 homicides per 100,000 people).
Which country in Europe has the lowest homicide rate?: Switzerland, with 0.6 homicides per 100,000 people (2023).
What is the typical homicide rate of a country in Europe?: The median of the 41 countries in Europe is 1.1 homicides per 100,000 people: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: Intentional homicides in a year for every 100,000 people, from police and health records collected by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Records are uneven, so figures up to seven years old are shown. Source: World Bank, mostly 2023. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 7 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.