Knives and other sharp objects were the weapon of choice in 97,183 homicides in 2017, representing a devastating 22% of global homicides, as per the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime's 2019 Global Study on Homicide. This statistic lays bare the multifaceted nature of the global homicide landscape, with the choice of weapon varying significantly from region to region. Irrespective of the socio-economic status, geopolitical location, or overall safety ranking of a given country, the frequency of knife-related violence emerges as a common bane affecting all regions. Key findings from the data include:
When it comes to countries with the highest incidence of stabbing deaths, South Africa tops the list with a disturbingly high stabbing mortality rate of 16.95 per 100,000 people. Lesotho follows closely behind with a stabbing mortality rate of 16.38 per 100,000 people. The third position is held by Eswatini, reporting a stabbing mortality rate of 9.31 per 100,000 individuals. Furthermore, Botswana and Namibia, also African countries, feature respectively on this list with 8.88 and 8.08 deaths per 100,000 people due to stabbings. This data further underscores the overall elevated stabbing death rates within the African continent. However, the data also highlights the fact that such tragedies are not isolated to Africa. For instance, Belize, located in Central America, has a rate of 7.35. Likewise, the Caribbean nation of Haiti also reports an unsettling rate of 7.14. Honduras tallies a slightly lower stabbing mortality rate of approximately 6.66 per 100,000 people and is another Central American country dealing with this issue. Colombia, the only South American country featured in these rankings, holds a stabbing mortality rate of 6.55 per 100,000 people. In tenth place, we have Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with a rate of 6.54, laying down a grim picture of the issue's prevalence within the small island nation. Countries with the Most Stabbing Deaths (per 100k deaths):
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2.04
#60
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2.69
#38
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
0.32
#148
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
1.65
#72
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2.44
#44
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2
#63
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
3.19
#34
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2.12
#56
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2.11
#57
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2.44
#43
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
3.86
#22
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
0.25
#160
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
0.54
#116
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
3.6
#27
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
1.37
#86
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
2.25
#50
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
1.88
#68
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
1.56
#77
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
3.76
#25
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
1.93
#65
Metric
Value
Rank
Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k)
0.31
#155
Region ↕ | Stabbing Mortality Rate (per 100k) ↕ | Homicide Rate (per 100k) ↕ |
---|---|---|
Afghanistan | 1.14 | 6.66 |
Albania | 0.29 | 2.29 |
Algeria | 0.14 | 1.36 |
Andorra | 0.12 | 0.00 |
Angola | 1.49 | 4.85 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 0.8 | 11.06 |
Argentina | 1.62 | 5.32 |
Armenia | 0.79 | 1.69 |
Australia | 0.48 | 0.89 |
Austria | 0.18 | 0.97 |
Azerbaijan | 0.8 | 2.20 |
Bahamas | 5.16 | 31.96 |
Bahrain | 0.2 | 0.52 |
Bangladesh | 0.31 | 2.37 |
Barbados | 3.48 | 9.77 |
Belarus | 2.22 | 2.39 |
Belgium | 0.36 | 1.69 |
Belize | 7.35 | 37.79 |
Benin | 1.93 | 1.13 |
Bhutan | 0.19 | 1.19 |
Bolivia | 1.22 | 6.22 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.35 | 1.17 |
Botswana | 8.88 | 15.25 |
Brazil | 4.56 | 27.38 |
Bulgaria | 0.67 | 1.30 |
Burkina Faso | 2.59 | 1.25 |
Burundi | 0.39 | 6.05 |
Cambodia | 1.43 | 1.84 |
Cameroon | 0.85 | 1.39 |
Canada | 0.49 | 1.76 |
Central African Republic | 3.41 | 20.12 |
Chad | 2.04 | |
Chile | 2.09 | 4.40 |
China | 0.32 | 0.53 |
Colombia | 6.55 | 25.34 |
Comoros | 2.69 | |
Costa Rica | 1.85 | 11.26 |
Croatia | 0.35 | 0.58 |
Cuba | 3.85 | 5.05 |
Cyprus | 0.29 | 1.26 |
Czech Republic | 0.32 | |
DR Congo | 1.65 | |
Denmark | 0.22 | 1.01 |
Djibouti | 2.44 | |
Dominica | 4.64 | 26.59 |
Dominican Republic | 4 | 10.05 |
Ecuador | 2.93 | 5.80 |
Egypt | 0.09 | 2.55 |
El Salvador | 5.69 | 52.02 |
Equatorial Guinea | 2 | |
Eritrea | 3.19 | |
Estonia | 1.59 | 2.12 |
Eswatini | 9.31 | 11.56 |
Ethiopia | 1.84 | 8.79 |
Fiji | 0.34 | 2.31 |
Finland | 0.55 | 1.63 |
France | 0.2 | 1.20 |
Gabon | 2.12 | |
Georgia | 0.86 | 2.22 |
Germany | 0.23 | 0.95 |
Ghana | 0.08 | 2.09 |
Greece | 0.34 | 0.94 |
Grenada | 0.61 | 10.82 |
Guatemala | 3.08 | 22.50 |
Guinea | 2.11 | |
Guinea Bissau | 2.67 | 1.15 |
Guyana | 6.5 | 14.25 |
Haiti | 7.14 | 6.68 |
Honduras | 6.66 | 38.93 |
Hungary | 0.41 | 2.49 |
Iceland | 0.23 | 0.89 |
India | 0.64 | 3.08 |
Indonesia | 0.41 | 0.43 |
Iran | 0.11 | 2.50 |
Iraq | 0.58 | 10.07 |
Ireland | 0.16 | 0.87 |
Israel | 0.6 | 1.49 |
Italy | 0.19 | 0.57 |
Ivory Coast | 2.44 | |
Jamaica | 2.87 | 43.85 |
Japan | 0.09 | 0.26 |
Jordan | 0.45 | 1.36 |
Kazakhstan | 3.88 | 5.06 |
Kenya | 2.43 | 4.93 |
Kiribati | 1.25 | 7.52 |
Kuwait | 0.37 | 1.82 |
Kyrgyzstan | 1.92 | 2.19 |
Laos | 3.86 | |
Latvia | 2.48 | 4.36 |
Lebanon | 0.53 | 2.49 |
Lesotho | 16.38 | 43.56 |
Liberia | 0.73 | 3.26 |
Libya | 0.25 | |
Lithuania | 1.58 | 4.57 |
Luxembourg | 0.39 | 0.34 |
Madagascar | 0.54 | |
Malawi | 0.44 | 1.81 |
Malaysia | 0.47 | 2.13 |
Maldives | 0.93 | 0.72 |
Mali | 3.6 | |
Malta | 0.31 | 1.59 |
Marshall Islands | 2.08 | 3.98 |
Mauritania | 1.37 | |
Mauritius | 1.06 | 2.92 |
Mexico | 3.76 | 29.07 |
Micronesia | 2.25 | |
Moldova | 1.32 | 4.10 |
Monaco | 0.08 | 0.00 |
Mongolia | 2.53 | 6.18 |
Montenegro | 0.32 | 2.23 |
Morocco | 0.4 | 1.42 |
Mozambique | 1.51 | 3.51 |
Myanmar | 0.53 | 2.26 |
Namibia | 8.08 | 17.68 |
Nauru | 1.88 | |
Nepal | 0.31 | 2.30 |
Netherlands | 0.25 | 0.59 |
New Zealand | 0.4 | 0.74 |
Nicaragua | 2.01 | 7.19 |
Niger | 3.26 | 4.43 |
Nigeria | 2.37 | 34.52 |
North Korea | 1.56 | |
North Macedonia | 0.28 | 1.20 |
Norway | 0.25 | 0.47 |
Oman | 0.08 | 0.27 |
Pakistan | 1.51 | 3.88 |
Palau | 1.15 | 11.17 |
Panama | 2.39 | 9.39 |
Papua New Guinea | 3.57 | 9.75 |
Paraguay | 3.41 | 7.14 |
Peru | 0.69 | 7.91 |
Philippines | 4.9 | 6.46 |
Poland | 0.49 | 0.73 |
Portugal | 0.32 | 0.79 |
Qatar | 0.48 | 0.37 |
Romania | 0.76 | 1.28 |
Russia | 4.32 | 8.21 |
Rwanda | 0.76 | 2.58 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2.16 | 36.09 |
Saint Lucia | 5.57 | 21.44 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 6.54 | 36.54 |
Samoa | 1.47 | 3.15 |
San Marino | 0.12 | 0.00 |
Saudi Arabia | 0.14 | 1.27 |
Senegal | 0.32 | 0.27 |
Serbia | 0.48 | 1.23 |
Seychelles | 2.14 | 12.54 |
Sierra Leone | 0.48 | 1.73 |
Singapore | 0.12 | 0.16 |
Slovakia | 0.45 | 1.14 |
Slovenia | 0.25 | 0.48 |
Solomon Islands | 1.88 | 3.77 |
Somalia | 3.76 | |
South Africa | 16.95 | 36.40 |
South Korea | 0.31 | 0.60 |
South Sudan | 4.43 | 14.87 |
Spain | 0.36 | 0.62 |
Sri Lanka | 1.28 | 2.42 |
Sudan | 0.19 | 5.15 |
Suriname | 2.21 | 5.43 |
Sweden | 0.35 | 1.08 |
Switzerland | 0.16 | 0.59 |
Syria | 0.49 | 0.88 |
Tajikistan | 0.79 | 1.64 |
Tanzania | 1.48 | 6.48 |
Thailand | 1.15 | 2.58 |
Timor Leste | 1.33 | 4.10 |
Togo | 1.93 | |
Tonga | 0.37 | 0.97 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 3.69 | 30.65 |
Tunisia | 0.08 | 3.06 |
Turkey | 0.57 | 2.59 |
Turkmenistan | 1.48 | 4.22 |
Tuvalu | 2.04 | 18.62 |
Uganda | 1.44 | 10.52 |
Ukraine | 3.35 | 6.18 |
United Arab Emirates | 0.1 | 0.46 |
United Kingdom | 0.08 | 1.20 |
United States | 0.6 | 4.96 |
Uruguay | 1.62 | 12.06 |
Uzbekistan | 1.82 | 1.14 |
Vanuatu | 0.31 | |
Venezuela | 2.22 | 36.69 |
Vietnam | 0.75 | 1.53 |
Yemen | 0.34 | 6.77 |
Zambia | 2.26 | 5.37 |
Zimbabwe | 2.41 | 7.48 |