Australia recorded 5,800 crimes per 100,000 people in 2022, down 2% overall, yet many categories moved in sharper, more uneven ways across states and territories. From NSW assaults climbing to 799 per 100,000 in 2022 to the NT sitting at 15,000 per 100,000 and night time assaults making up 42% of the total, the pattern is far from one straight line.
Key Takeaways
- NSW assault rate was 799 per 100,000 in 2022, up 5% from 2021
- Victoria assault victims totalled 85,234 in 2023, rate 1,251 per 100,000
- Queensland serious assault rate reached 412 per 100,000 in 2022
- NSW fraud reports 45,000 in 2022, $500m losses
- VIC identity theft 12,000 cases 2023, up 20%
- QLD cybercrime reports 8,000 in 2022
- Heroin possession arrests 2,500 in NSW 2022
- VIC amphetamine seizures 1.2 tonnes in 2022
- QLD cannabis offences 25,000 in 2022, rate 450 per 100,000
- National overall crime rate 5,800 per 100,000 in 2022, down 2%
- NSW total offences 550,000 in 2022
- Victoria crime rate stable at 6,200 per 100k 2023
- Robbery rate in NSW was 78 per 100,000 in 2022, down 6%
- Victoria armed robbery victims 1,200 in 2023, rate 17 per 100,000
- Queensland robbery offences totalled 4,500 in 2022, rate 85 per 100,000
Overall Australian violence trends are mixed in 2022, with assaults up in key states and serious crime shifting.
Related reading
01 · Category
Assaults21 stats
01
NSW assault rate was 799 per 100,000 in 2022, up 5% from 2021
02
Victoria assault victims totalled 85,234 in 2023, rate 1,251 per 100,000
03
Queensland serious assault rate reached 412 per 100,000 in 2022
04
South Australia recorded 14,500 assaults in 2022, rate 748 per 100,000
05
WA assault rate was 1,056 per 100,000 population in 2022
06
Tasmania assaults increased 8% to 3,200 incidents in 2022
07
NT assault rate was 4,500 per 100,000 in 2022, highest in nation
08
ACT family violence assaults totalled 2,100 in 2022, rate 484 per 100,000
09
National aggravated assault rate rose 4.2% to 325 per 100,000 in 2022
10
Alcohol-related assaults comprised 55% of hospitalisations in 2021-22
11
Indigenous assault victimisation rate 12 times higher than non-Indigenous 2022
12
Night-time assaults (10pm-6am) accounted for 42% of total assaults 2022
13
Workplace assaults reported at 15,000 incidents nationally in 2022
14
Grievous bodily harm cases in QLD up 10% to 2,500 in 2023
15
Public transport assaults in VIC doubled to 1,200 since 2019
16
Domestic assault breaches rose 20% in NSW to 25,000 in 2022
17
Youth (10-17) assault offending rate 150 per 100,000 in 2022
18
Female assault victims 58% of total in Australia 2022
19
Hospital admissions for assault 35,000 in 2021-22, up 3%
20
Glassing incidents in NSW pubs 450 in 2022
21
King hit assaults declined 15% nationally 2020-2022
Interpretation
Assaults Interpretation
While the Northern Territory seems to be winning the grim race nobody wanted, and Victoria is holding a strong and troubling second, the sobering national truth is that nearly every state is seeing a rise in violence, with alcohol fuelling over half of the carnage and Indigenous communities and women disproportionately bearing the brunt of it all.
02 · Category
Cyber and Fraud18 stats
01
NSW fraud reports 45,000 in 2022, $500m losses
02
VIC identity theft 12,000 cases 2023, up 20%
03
QLD cybercrime reports 8,000 in 2022
04
SA scam losses $45m in 2022
05
WA phishing attacks 15,000 reports 2022
06
TAS online fraud up 30% to 900 cases 2022
07
NT cyber fraud $10m losses 2022
08
ACT investment scams 500 victims $20m 2022
09
National cybercrime cost $33 billion in 2022
10
Ransomware attacks on businesses 1,200 in 2022
11
Romance scams $40m losses Australia 2022
12
Business email compromise $200m stolen 2022
13
DDoS attacks 50,000 incidents 2022
14
Elderly fraud victims 25% of total, $300m losses 2022
15
Cryptocurrency scams $1 billion losses 2022
16
Data breaches affecting 2.5m Australians 2022
17
Online gambling fraud 3,000 cases 2022
18
Deepfake fraud emerging, 100 reports 2022
Interpretation
Cyber and Fraud Interpretation
Australia's criminals have swapped the balaclava for the keyboard, running a thriving, multi-billion-dollar national enterprise that preys on our trust, our data, and our grandparents' savings with alarming efficiency.
03 · Category
Drug Offences17 stats
01
Heroin possession arrests 2,500 in NSW 2022
02
VIC amphetamine seizures 1.2 tonnes in 2022
03
QLD cannabis offences 25,000 in 2022, rate 450 per 100,000
04
SA methamphetamine possession 4,000 cases 2022
05
WA drug trafficking arrests 1,800 in 2022
06
TAS drug cultivation busts 150 in 2022
07
NT cannabis use offences 3,500, highest rate 1,400 per 100k 2022
08
ACT cocaine seizures up 50% to 200kg 2022
09
National drug-induced deaths 1,800 in 2022, opioids 60%
10
Youth drug possession 12% decrease 2021-2022
11
Border drug detections 20 tonnes in 2022
12
Meth lab discoveries 250 nationally 2022
13
Prescription drug misuse arrests 5,000 in 2022
14
Indigenous drug arrest rate 15 times higher 2022
15
Festival drug testing diverted 10,000 from arrests 2022
16
Ice-related hospitalisations 25,000 in 2022
17
Dark web drug sales to Australia $100m annually 2022 est
Interpretation
Drug Offences Interpretation
It seems Australia's states and territories are all dealing the same grim hand of drugs, just each playing their own regrettable card, from NSW's heroin busts to the ACT's fancy cocaine problem, all while the national toll in lives, hospital beds, and Indigenous communities starkly shows we're far from winning this costly, tragic war on our own well-being.
04 · Category
Overall Trends10 stats
01
National overall crime rate 5,800 per 100,000 in 2022, down 2%
02
NSW total offences 550,000 in 2022
03
Victoria crime rate stable at 6,200 per 100k 2023
04
QLD offences up 5% to 350,000 in 2022
05
SA crime volume down 3% to 110,000 2022
06
WA total victims 180,000 in 2022
07
TAS offences 18,000 in 2022, rate 3,200 per 100k
08
NT crime rate 15,000 per 100,000 highest 2022
09
ACT offences 12,000 in 2022, down 4%
10
Victimisation survey shows 8.5% experienced crime 2022
Interpretation
Overall Trends Interpretation
While the national crime rate dips cautiously, suggesting a cautiously optimistic "she'll be right, mate," the wildly different state-by-state stories—from Queensland's unsettling rise to the Northern Territory's starkly high rate—paint a picture of an Australia where your luck largely depends on your postcode.
More related reading
05 · Category
Property Crimes25 stats
01
Robbery rate in NSW was 78 per 100,000 in 2022, down 6%
02
Victoria armed robbery victims 1,200 in 2023, rate 17 per 100,000
03
Queensland robbery offences totalled 4,500 in 2022, rate 85 per 100,000
04
SA street robberies increased 12% to 650 in 2022
05
WA robbery rate 110 per 100,000 in 2022, up 8%
06
Tasmania reported 180 robberies in 2022, rate 33 per 100,000
07
NT robbery rate 450 per 100,000, highest nationally 2022
08
ACT robberies total 250 in 2022, rate 59 per 100,000
09
National unarmed robbery 60% of total robberies in 2022
10
Motor vehicle thefts in NSW 17,000 in 2022, rate 210 per 100,000
11
VIC car thefts up 27% to 25,000 in 2023
12
QLD unlawful vehicle entries 45,000 in 2022
13
Burglaries in SA down 5% to 12,000 in 2022
14
WA break-ins 22,000 in 2022, rate 800 per 100,000
15
TAS residential burglaries 1,200 in 2022
16
NT property thefts 18,000, rate 7,200 per 100,000 2022
17
ACT thefts from person 1,500 in 2022
18
National shoplifting offences 120,000 in 2022, up 10%
19
Bike thefts in Sydney 5,000 annually average 2020-2022
20
Commercial burglaries 40% of total NSW 2022
21
Recovered stolen vehicles 65% in VIC 2023
22
Youth property crime offending down 20% 2018-2022
23
Rural property crime rates 15% lower than urban 2022
24
Insurance claims for theft $1.2 billion in 2022
25
Pickpocketing in tourist areas 2,500 cases Melbourne 2022
Interpretation
Property Crimes Interpretation
While it's statistically unwise to pick a fight in the Northern Territory or leave your car unlocked in Western Australia, the national picture is a bizarrely reassuring mix of armed thugs becoming rarer, shoplifters getting bolder, and Australia's youth apparently deciding that stealing things is less fun than it used to be.
06 · Category
Sexual Offences19 stats
01
NSW sexual assault rate 99 per 100,000 in 2022, up 9%
02
Victoria sexual offences 12,000 reported in 2023, rate 170 per 100,000
03
Queensland rape reports 2,100 in 2022, rate 40 per 100,000
04
SA sexual assaults 1,800 victims under 18 in 2022
05
WA child sexual abuse reports 3,500 in 2022
06
Tasmania sexual assault rate 120 per 100,000 2022
07
NT sexual violence rate 250 per 100,000, 2022 highest
08
ACT sexual assault victims 450 in 2022, rate 106 per 100,000
09
National family violence sexual assaults 25% of total 2022
10
Under-reporting of sexual assault estimated 85% nationally
11
Online child sexual exploitation reports 15,000 in 2022
12
Indigenous women sexual violence victimisation 3.1 times higher 2022
13
University campus sexual assaults 500 reported 2022
14
Drug-facilitated sexual assaults 1,200 cases NSW 2022
15
Historical sexual assault convictions up 15% 2020-2022
16
Repeat sexual assault victims 30% of total 2022
17
Stranger sexual assaults 20% vs 80% known perpetrator 2022
18
Sexual assault in prisons 200 incidents 2022
19
App-based sexual assaults 400 cases nationally 2022
Interpretation
Sexual Offences Interpretation
Australia appears to be conducting a wry and grim competition no one entered, where the trophy is having the highest sexual violence rate, but the real national emergency is the staggering dark figure of unreported crimes that dwarfs every official statistic.
07 · Category
Violent Crimes20 stats
01
In 2022, Australia's national homicide victimization rate was 0.80 per 100,000 population, a decrease from 0.85 in 2021
02
New South Wales recorded 97 homicides in 2022, equating to a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents
03
Victoria's homicide rate stood at 0.92 per 100,000 in 2022, with 65 incidents reported
04
Queensland reported a homicide rate of 0.75 per 100,000 in 2023, down 12% from previous year
05
South Australia's homicide victims numbered 22 in 2022, rate of 1.18 per 100,000
06
Western Australia's homicide rate was 0.96 per 100,000 in 2022, with 28 cases
07
Tasmania had 3 homicides in 2022, rate of 0.52 per 100,000 population
08
Northern Territory's homicide rate peaked at 7.5 per 100,000 in 2022, highest nationally
09
ACT recorded 2 homicides in 2022, rate of 0.47 per 100,000
10
Nationally, intimate partner homicides accounted for 28% of all homicides in 2022
11
Youth homicide offending rate for ages 10-17 was 0.4 per 100,000 in 2021-22
12
Firearm homicides comprised 13% of total homicides in Australia during 2017-2022
13
Indigenous Australians experienced a homicide victimization rate 7.7 times higher than non-Indigenous in 2022
14
Drive-by shootings linked to homicides increased by 15% in NSW from 2021 to 2022
15
Parricide rates in Australia averaged 0.05 per 100,000 from 2000-2020
16
Homicide clearance rate nationally was 88% in 2022
17
Gang-related homicides made up 8% of total in major cities 2020-2022
18
Alcohol-involved homicides accounted for 41% of cases in 2022
19
Homicide rates in regional areas were 1.1 per 100,000 vs 0.7 in metro 2022
20
Female homicide victims were 37% of total in 2022, mostly by intimate partners
Interpretation
Violent Crimes Interpretation
While Australia's overall murder rate is reassuringly low and even falling—making it statistically safer than a weekend in most people's garden sheds—the stark and sobering disparities hidden within, particularly for Indigenous communities and women in relationships, reveal a nation still grappling with deeply unequal threats to life.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Australia Crime Rate Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australia-crime-rate-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Australia Crime Rate Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/australia-crime-rate-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Australia Crime Rate Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australia-crime-rate-statistics.
Sources & references
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