Homicide Rate in Taiwan: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

The statistics of violence in Taiwan reveal the changing fabric of safety across two centuries. To look at these numbers is to measure the risk of a life cut short, tracing how social stability manifests in the daily experience of millions. Each data point represents the quiet reality of existence in a changing society, reflecting the collective outcome of laws, public health, and human interaction. By tracking these figures, we gain a quantitative perspective on how the physical security of a population has shifted from the 1800s to today.

The arc of this history is defined by a slow, consistent decline. In the 1800s estimate 8, a figure that gradually tapered through the 1850s estimate 6.5. By the time of the 1900s estimate 5, the trend toward greater stability was well-established. This downward momentum continued through the 1950s 3 and the 1990s 2.25. Today, in the 2020s, homicide rate in Taiwan stands at 1.8 per 100,000 — ranking #64 of 157 countries. Current projections suggest this progress will persist, reaching the 2100s projection 1.19.

For a person born in Taiwan, the period of their arrival determines the statistical likelihood of their survival. Where an ancestor in the 1810s estimate 7.7 faced a higher risk, a descendant in the 2030s projection 1.71 lives in a significantly different environment. These probabilities are not merely abstract figures; they describe the changing conditions for every person navigating the geography of their time. The numbers demonstrate that the safety of the individual is intimately tied to the long-term trajectory of the society they inhabit. You can use these data points to compare your own era to the centuries that came before.