League of Legends players have likely heard or been asked about their kill-death ratio. Sometimes referred to as KD or KDA, this number provides a rough look at a player’s overall in-game performance. As the name implies, it’s a ratio of how many times they’ve died versus how many times they’ve killed other players. But what is the average LoL KDA ratio, and what kill-death ratio is considered good? Read on to learn more.
What is the average League of Legends KDA ratio?
As with nearly any competitive PvP game, the average kill-death ratio in League of Legends is slightly below one. Every death counts as a death, but not every kill counts as a kill. Thus, mathematically speaking, the average LoL KDA ratio is somewhere just shy of 1:1:0.
Since this concept seems to be confusing for a lot of players, it’s worth breaking down the basics. Here’s how the KDA ratio system works in League of Legends:
- Every death counts as a death, regardless of who or what caused it
- All kills count as a kill except when killed by something other than an enemy player
- Finally, assists count as kills for other players, but not for you
Any time a player’s Champion dies, their death count increases. However, it’s possible to die without being directly killed by another player. As such, the average KDA must be below one.
Still, despite those details, the average kill-death ratio for all League of Legends players is practically meaningless. It doesn’t factor in skill, matches played, or perhaps most importantly, win rate. Plus, that final A (for Assists) muddies the water even further. For a clearer picture, it’s worth examining the average KDA for individual Champions.
It’s best to judge average KDA by Champion
Teamwork is huge in League of Legends. In fact, it’s entirely possible to earn a sweeping victory in a match despite having an overall negative KDA. That’s the main reason why kill-death ratios are largely irrelevant. Consequently, it’s also why the A was tacked on to KDA: It provides a way to factor in teamwork for players who don’t earn a lot of (or any) kills.
If you were hoping to learn the average kill-death ratio for all LoL players to use as a point of comparison, don’t bother. Instead, you should look at the averages for specific Champions. This will give you a sense of how well you perform based on the averages for individual characters, a particularly important distinction for those who prefer to play in support roles. Luckily, you can find breakdowns for all of the game’s Champions over at OP.GG.
Based on the provided statistics, Champions such as Illaoi, Jax, and Teemo are at the low end of the spectrum, with an average KDA around 1.75:1. On the other side are Nami, Ivern, Zac, and Skarner, with average KDAs above 3:1. At the very top of the list is Yuumi, with an average KDA of 4.47:1. Recently added Champion Rell is currently listed with an average KD of 2.43:1, while Aphelios is at 2.08:1.
However, you should note that these numbers have little bearing on win rates. Of the game’s top 50 Champions based on win rate, only four have an average KDA above 3:1. Again, this shows the importance of teamwork in winning matches — and the relative uselessness of comparing kill-death ratios.
Based on raw statistics, the average kill-death ratio in League of Legends is less than one. However, that’s a pretty useless number if you’re hoping to judge your in-game performance. Instead, it’s better to compare the average KDA for individual Champions, where anything above a 2:1 kill-death ratio is considered good. Still, the real statistic you want to look at is win rate. Your specific LoL KDA may seem lower than average, but it’s the number of wins that counts the most.
