Crime Statistics By Countries, Large Cities and Demographics
Updated · Oct 07, 2024
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Violent vs. Property Crime
- General Crime Statistics
- Crime Statistics By Top Peaceful Countries
- Violent Crime Statistics By Large Cities
- Crime Victimization Rate
- Violent Crime Victimization Statistics
- Crime Comparison Statistics
- Crime Trends in the United States
- Crime Statistics in South Africa
- Reported Crime Share in Sweden
- Crime Rate Statistics in India
- Cyber Crime Statistics
- Cyber Crime Victims By Demographics
- Incarceration Rates By Countries
- Crime Rates on the Decline?
- Conclusion
Introduction
Crime statistics: Crime statistics are like a detective’s magnifying glass. They help us see crime patterns and trends more clearly. The government collects data to show how much crime is happening in a certain place and time every year. There are five effective steps required for analyzing crime analyses: collection, categorization, analysis, dissemination, and evaluation of information. These numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they give us a good starting point to understand what’s happening in our communities. They can be used as tools to help criminal justice professionals anticipate increased risk of crime.
Editor’s Choice
- In the United States, the overall crime rate was almost 47.70 in 2024, which is estimated to have decreased over the last 25 years.
- As of 2024, Venezuela and Qatar have the highest and lowest crime rates globally, at 82.1 and 14.3, respectively, measured per 100,000 citizens.
- According to recent Crime Statistics, in the U.S., most violent crimes have decreased, but property-related crimes have increased by 7%.
- Motor vehicle thefts had risen significantly by 11% in 2024.
- Baltimore and Detroit are the two deadliest cities in the U.S., with the highest per-capita murder and robbery rates.
- In case of rape and robbery theft, the top-ranked cities are Salt Lake City and Utah.
- Violent crime cases in 70 major U.S. cities in 2023 were homicide (7789), rape (28,478), robbery (105,800), and aggravated assault (280,316).
- In the USA, 51% of residents perceived crime as a major issue in 2024, indicating widespread concerns about public safety.
- 2% of reported crime incidents occurred in the homes of victims or residential areas
- In the nation, homicide killed around 100 people each day globally in 2023.
Violent vs. Property Crime
There are two main categories of crime: violent crime and property crime.
- Violent crimes involve force or the threat of force against another person. Examples include murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
- Property crimes involve stealing or damaging property. This includes theft (like stealing a bike), burglary (breaking into a building to steal), and motor vehicle theft (carjacking or stealing a car).
In the United States, property crime is much more common than violent crime. According to the FBI’s 2022 Crime in the Nation report, there were about five times more property crimes than violent crimes per 100,000 people.
General Crime Statistics
- According to Crime Statistics, in New York City, anti-Semitic hate crimes increased by 12.6%, and anti-Muslim hate crimes up by 22% in 2023.
- Moreover, in Los Angeles, both anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes have increased by 48% and 40%, respectively.
- In the first month of 2024, in the U.S., bias crimes have increased by 12%, as per NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force.
- Kidnapping, theft, murder, and assault crime cases have increased by 36%, 23% and 21%, respectively.
- In 2023, approximately 80% of Americans and 92% of Republicans have claimed that crime rates have increased.
- The most dangerous country for crime worldwide in 2023 is Saint Kitts, and Nevis experienced a murder rate of 65 per 100,000 residents.
(Reference: gallup.com)
- Crime Statistics further elaborates that the overall crime rate is increasing, but in 2023, the rate slightly decreased in the United States to 77% from 78% in 2022.
- Similarly, the crime rate in local areas has started increasing since 2000, but it increased to 55% in 2023 from 56% last year.
Crime Statistics By Top Peaceful Countries
| Rank | Country | Score (1-5) | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Iceland | 1.124 | Europe |
| #2 | Denmark | 1.31 | Europe |
| #3 | Ireland | 1.312 | Europe |
| #4 | New Zealand | 1.313 | Asia-Pacific |
| #5 | Austria | 1.316 | Europe |
| #6 | Singapore | 1.332 | Asia-Pacific |
| #7 | Portugal | 1.333 | Europe |
| #8 | Slovenia | 1.334 | Europe |
| #9 | Japan | 1.336 | Asia-Pacific |
| #10 | Switzerland | 1.339 | Europe |
(Source: forbesindia.com)
- Crime Statistics also states that Iceland was the world’s most peaceful city in 2023, with an index value of 1.124.
- Similarly, Denmark and Ireland ranked second and third with an index number of 1.31 and 1.312.
- Followed by other top peaceful countries in 2023 were New Zealand (1.313), Austria (1.316), Singapore (1.332), Portugal (1.333), Slovenia (1.334), Japan (1.336), and Switzerland (1.339).
By Highest Crime Rate
- Venezuela secured the highest crime index in 2024, with 82.1 per 100K citizens. The overall criminality score is 6.72, and the criminal market score is 6.03.
- The next countries with the top crime index, overall criminality score, and criminal market are Papua New Guinea (80.4, 5.72, and 5.33), Afghanistan (78.4, 7.10, and 7), Haiti (78.3, 5.93, and 5.77), South Africa (75.5, 7.18, and 6.87), Honduras (74.3, 7.05, 6), Trinidad and Tobago (70.8, 5.20, and 4.80), and Syria (69.1, 7.07, and 6.43), respectively.
Other country’s crime information is described below:
| Country | Crime Index Numbeo (per 100K) | Overall Criminality Score (GOCI) | Criminal Markets Score |
| Guyana | 68.8 | 5.97 | 5.13 |
| Peru | 67.5 | 6.40 | 6.20 |
| Jamaica | 67.5 | 5.80 | 4.90 |
| Somalia | 66.7 | 6.13 | 5.27 |
| Brazil | 66.1 | 6.77 | 6.93 |
| Nigeria | 65.8 | 7.28 | 7.37 |
| Angola | 65.8 | 5.58 | 5.17 |
| Namibia | 64.6 | 4.30 | 4.10 |
| Burundi | 64.2 | 4.87 | 4.63 |
| Argentina | 64.0 | 5.00 | 4.50 |
| Mozambique | 63.7 | 6.20 | 5.90 |
| Bangladesh | 62.5 | 5.12 | 5.03 |
| El Salvador | 62.1 | 5.92 | 5.43 |
| Bolivia | 62.0 | 4.95 | 5.00 |
| Puerto Rico | 61.7 | ||
| United States Virgin Islands | 61.2 | ||
| Djibouti | 61.1 | 4.65 | 4.30 |
| China | 60.8 | 6.37 | 6.53 |
| Ecuador | 60.7 | 7.07 | 6.73 |
| Zimbabwe | 60.6 | 5.47 | 5.03 |
| Libya | 60.4 | 6.93 | 6.57 |
| Bahamas | 60.3 | 3.75 | 3.60 |
| Guatemala | 60.1 | 6.60 | 6.10 |
| Chad | 58.7 | 5.50 | 5.10 |
| Ivory Coast | 57.5 | 6.02 | 5.93 |
| Kenya | 56.8 | 7.02 | 6.93 |
| Fiji | 56.7 | 4.15 | 4.30 |
| Uganda | 55.9 | 6.55 | 6.40 |
| Maldives | 55.2 | 4.27 | 3.53 |
| France | 54.6 | 5.82 | 5.93 |
| Tajikistan | 54.4 | 5.45 | 4.80 |
| Mexico | 54.1 | 7.57 | 8.13 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 53.9 | 5.32 | 4.63 |
| Costa Rica | 53.7 | 5.53 | 5.37 |
| Mongolia | 53.5 | 4.12 | 3.83 |
| Burkina Faso | 53.0 | 5.92 | 5.83 |
| Botswana | 52.6 | 4.35 | 4.40 |
| Belize | 52.3 | 4.87 | 4.43 |
| Uruguay | 51.9 | 3.22 | 3.33 |
| Malaysia | 51.6 | 6.23 | 6.67 |
| Ethiopia | 51.4 | 5.68 | 6.07 |
(Source: worldpopulationreview.com)
By Least Crime Countries
- Under Crime Statistics in 2024, the average crime rate in Iceland is 22.26%, and the murder rate is only 0.3%. Thus, it is known to be the safest country in the world.
- Furthermore, in the Asian region, Singapore had the lowest crime rate, with a 0.2% murder rate.
- On the other hand, the countries with the lowest murder rate per capita in 2024 were New Zealand (0.74%), Portugal (0.9%), Austria (0.61%), Denmark (0.8%), Canada (1.95%), Singapore (0.2%), the Czech Republic (1%), Japan (0.3%), and Switzerland (0.5%).
Violent Crime Statistics By Large Cities
(more than 500,000 population)
- In the United States of America, Baltimore and Maryland have the highest violent crime rate for murder cases, which is 50 per 100K residents, in 2024.
- The second and third murder rate cities were Detroit (49/100K) and Memphis (43/100K), respectively.
- In rare cases, the top three crime cities per 100,000 residents were Detroit (114), Columbus (111), and Denver (107).
- In the Aggravated Assaults case, Memphis remained highest with 1942 crimes/100K, followed by Detroit (1642) and Kansas City (1155).
- Meanwhile, in Robbery: Baltimore with 556 cases, Memphis (372), and Philadelphia (370).
Large City highest property crime rates in countries per 100K residents:
| Burglary | ||||||
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| Larceny-Theft | ||||||
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| Motor Vehicle Theft | ||||||
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By Small Cities (more than 100,000-249,999 population)
- For the murder case, Birmingham, Alabama, had the highest violent crime rate, which was 73, followed by Little Rock (39) and San Bernardino (32).
- In rare cases, the top three crime cities per 100K residents were Salt Lake City (189), Pueblo (162), and Dayton (148).
- In Aggravated Assaults, Little Rock recorded the highest crime rate of 1457 crimes/100K, followed by Birmingham (1332) and Rockford (1194).
- Whereas, in Robbery: Tacoma with 341 cases, Pueblo (321), and San Bernardino (303).
Small City Property Crime Rates
| Burglary | ||||||
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| Larceny-Theft | ||||||
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| Motor Vehicle Theft | ||||||
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Crime Victimization Rate
(Reference: gallup.com)
- Crime Statistics also mentioned that in the United States, around 28% of households and 17% of personnel have stated that someone in there has been victimized by one in seven crimes, such as vandalism, car theft, burglary, robbery, armed robbery, sexual assault, and battery.
- In 2023, other types of crimes were committed in the nation: 16% of households and 9% of individuals stated that a home, car, or property was vandalized, and similarly, money or property was stolen.
- 6% of households claimed that the house or apartment was broken.
- 4% of households and 1% of personnel said that their family member was mugged or physically assaulted.
- 3% of households and 1% of personnel also said that they were sexually assaulted.
- Money or property was taken by force, with a gun, knife, weapon, or physical attack claimed by 1% of households and 1% of personnel.
Violent Crime Victimization Statistics
By Region and Ethnicity
(Source: thefacts.nz)
- As of January 2023, the highest number of crime victims were seen in the European region, with around 5,503, which is a 29.3% share.
- The other regions’ crime victimization numbers and share were Maori (3,554 and 18.9%), Indian (771 and 4.1%), Pasifika (718 and 3.8%), and Asian (569 and 3.0%), respectively.
- The number of male and female crime victims in the above regions was around 8634 (46%) and 8300 (44.2%), respectively.
- There were 11,139 victims of crime types based on theft and related offenses. At the same time, other victimizations by type include acts intended to cause injury assault (6492), sexual assault and related offenses (570), robbery, extortion and related offenses (509), abduction, harassment, and other related offenses against a person (56).
By Age Group
(Reference: statista.com)
- Per Crime Statistics, in the United States, around 785,660 people were crime victims, aged between 25 and 34 years, and 783,510 people aged from 35 to 49 years.
- Furthermore, the total number of violent crime victims by age group was followed by 647,610 (50 to 64 years), 538,720 (18 to 24 years), 443,990 (12 to 17 years), and 312,390 (65 years or older).
By Frequency
- A rape case is observed every 3.8 minutes in the United States of America.
- On the other hand, a violent crime offense and murder case occurred every 26.2 seconds and 32.5 minutes, respectively.
- Similarly, every 39.2 minutes, an aggravated assault and, in 1.9 minutes, a robbery takes place in the United States.
- However, in the nation, every 4.4 seconds, 42.2 seconds, and 25.7 seconds, a property crime, vehicle theft, and burglary occur, respectively.
Crime Comparison Statistics
(Source: ksat.com)
- In the city of San Antonio, the crime category against property in the first quarter of 2023 was approximately 25,716, an increase of 3.4% from last year’s quarter.
- On the other hand, crime against persons was 7565 (-15.7%), and against society was 2878 (-15.7%).
Crime Trends in the United States
(Reference: counciloncj.org)
- A report based on the Council on Criminal Justice further elaborated that in the U.S., nearly 37 American cities experienced ten violent property and drug offenses in June 2023.
- In the first half of 2023, homicide cases in America have decreased by 9.4%, resulting in 202 fewer homicides.
- During the same period, aggravated assaults decreased by 2.5%, followed by other reduced offenses: robberies (3.6%), residential burglaries (3.8%), nonresidential burglaries (5%), and larcenies (4.1%).
- Crime offenses increased in the first half of 2023, and these were motor vehicles (33.5%), domestic violence (0.3%), and drug offenses (1%).
Crime Statistics in South Africa
(Source: statssa.gov.za)
- In 2023, almost 1.1 million households in South Africa had experienced housebreaking and burglary, accounting for 5.7% of households.
- Meanwhile, 195,000 households, or 1% in S.A., have gone through home robbery cases.
- Other types of crimes experienced by total number and share of households in 2023 were theft of motor vehicle (73,000 and 0.4%), assault (68,000 and 0.4%), deliberate damaging of dwellings (65,000 and 0.3%), murder (16,000 and 0.1%), and sexual offense (11,000 and 0.1%).
(Reference: statista.com)
- In 2023, the largest shares of crimes reported in Sweden were theft crimes, with a share of 25%, and crimes against people, with a 20% share.
- On the other hand, the types of crime shared were fraud crimes (16%), property damage crimes (14%), drug-related crimes (7%), traffic crimes (4%), and other crimes (13%).
Crime Rate Statistics in India
- In India, to date, the total number of crimes reported in 2024 is 445.9/100K people, and the most common type of crime recorded is robbery and assault.
- The latest crime statistics show that the crime rate has decreased slightly by 0.56% since 2023.
- Whereas rape and kidnapping cases have grown by 1.1% and 5.1%, respectively.
- Uttar Pradesh secured the highest crime rate statistics in India, with 7.4% per capita.
- Other countries crime rates per capita in 2024 are followed by Arunachal Pradesh (5.8), Jharkhand (5.3), Meghalaya (5.1), Delhi (5), Assam (4.4), Chhattisgarh (4), Haryana (3.8), Odisha (3.8), and Andhra Pradesh (3.6)
Cyber Crime Statistics
- Crime Statistics further states that in the United States, the highest cost of a data breach was $5.09 million, and the annual cost is predicted to be $8 trillion globally.
- Globally, 72.7% of organizations, which is around 43% of small businesses, have experienced cyber attacks in 2023.
- Moreover, weekly cyber crimes have increased by 8% and phishing attacks by 41%.
- The average time required to solve a cyber crime is 6.7 hours, and it turns out to be 2.7 billion hours annually.
Cyber Crime Victims By Demographics
(Reference: statista.com)
- Based on Crime Statistics, in 2023, the total number of cybercrime victims in the United States was highest among the 60-year-old to the above-age group, with around 104,068.
- Meanwhile, the total number of cybercrime victims in the United States was 30 to 39 years old (88,138), 40 to 49 years old (84,052), 50 to 59 years old (65,924), 20 to 29 years old (62,410), and under 20 years old (18,174).
Incarceration Rates By Countries
(Reference: statista.com)
- A report published by Statista shows that, in January 2024, EI Salvador had the highest prisoner rate worldwide, with 1000 prisoners per 100,000 population.
- Moreover, the total number of prisoners per 100K population in other countries is Cuba (794), Rwanda (637), Turkmenistan (576), American Samoa (538), United States (531), Panama (499), Guam (475), Palau (428), Uruguay (424), Seychelles (413), Bahamas (409), Turkey (400), Brazil (390), Thailand (377), Virgin Islands (368), Cabo Verde (366), etc.
Crime Rates on the Decline?
There’s some good news! Crime rates in the United States have been going down for several decades. This is true for both violent and property crimes. For example, in 2022, the FBI reported a decrease in murders, rapes, and aggravated assaults compared to the previous year.
However, it’s important to remember that crime rates can vary depending on location. Some neighborhoods or cities may have higher crime rates than others.
Who Gets Hurt By Crime?
Crime can have a devastating impact on victims and their families. The financial cost of crime can also be significant. As per a recent study, property crimes cost the United States an estimated $79.4 billion per year! That’s a lot of money.
But the impact goes beyond money. Crime can also lead to fear, anxiety, and a loss of sense of security in a community.
Solving the Puzzle Why Does Crime Happen?
There’s no single answer to this question. Crime can be caused by a complex mix of factors, including poverty, lack of opportunity, substance abuse, and mental health problems.
Understanding these causes is important for developing strategies to prevent crime.
What Can We Do?
There are several things that communities can do to reduce crime, such as:
- Investing in education and job training: When people have opportunities, they’re less likely to turn to crime.
- Providing support services: This could include programs for drug addiction treatment, mental health counseling, and affordable housing.
- Community policing: This approach involves building relationships between police officers and the communities they serve.
- Neighborhood watch programs: These programs encourage neighbors to look out for each other and report suspicious activity.
Statistics Don’t Lie, but They Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Crime statistics are a valuable tool, but it’s important to remember that they’re just one piece of the puzzle. These numbers don’t tell the stories of the victims or the perpetrators of crime.
They also don’t capture the fear and anxiety that crime can cause in communities.
By using crime statistics along with other information, we can gain a better understanding of crime and develop more effective strategies to prevent it.
Here are some resources where you can find more information about crime statistics:
- FBI’s Crime in the Nation Report: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s
- Bureau of Justice Statistics: https://bjs.ojp.gov/
Conclusion
This article provides valuable insights into different criminal activities in the United States and worldwide. The data explained in the report reveals significant current trends and analyses that ensure different types of crime rates in 2023 and 2024. Most importantly, to create a very strong and effective system, both police officers and crime analysts require more training and education so that they can determine an exact method of crime prevention, reduction, and apprehension. Hopefully, this article will help you effectively understand the overall topic.
Sources
FAQ.
Official police reports, victim surveys, and offenders' self-reports are the three main sources of
crime data.
In the United States, the standard & most widely cited method of measuring crime is UCR.
As of June 2023, around 34% of people have claimed that they listen regularly to true crime
podcasts.
Maitrayee, after completing her graduation in Electrical Engineering, transitioned into the world of writing following a series of technical roles. She specializes in technology and Artificial Intelligence, bringing her experience as an Academic Research Analyst and Freelance Writer, with a focus on education and healthcare under the Australian system. From an early age, writing and painting have been her passions, leading her to pursue a full-time career in writing. In addition to her professional endeavors, Maitrayee also manages a YouTube channel dedicated to cooking.
