Intentional homicide claimed an estimated 5.8 lives per 100,000 people globally in 2020. National realities diverge sharply from this baseline, with Sweden’s homicide rate falling while South Africa’s fear of crime affected over 40% of the population. This analysis compares standardized rates across violence, reporting, and economic cost.
Key Takeaways
- Global rate of intentional homicide is estimated at 5.8 per 100,000 in 2020 (UNODC, 2023)
- Homicide accounts for 2.1% of all injury deaths globally (WHO Global Health Estimates context; homicide-related injury burden)
- In 2022, U.S. property crime included 28% burglary, 20% motor vehicle theft, 45% larceny-theft (FBI, Crime Data Explorer totals)
- 14.7% of people experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives (WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women, 2013 baseline)
- 1 in 3 women (30%) experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2013)
- 3.5 million incidents of violence were estimated in England and Wales in 2022 (ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales)
- In the U.S., 55% of households reported no burglary victimization in 2022 (BJS survey tabulated prevalence)
- In Sweden, the homicide rate decreased from 1.5 per 100,000 in 2010 to 1.1 per 100,000 in 2021 (Brå series)
- In Canada, the violent crime rate decreased by 2% from 2021 to 2022 (Statistics Canada)
- In the U.S., medical costs related to gun violence were $1.1 billion in 2019 (RAND analysis; subset of gun violence economic burden)
- In the EU, reported crime yields significant economic loss; the European Commission estimated €282.3 billion cost of crime for the EU in 2016 (EC, Impact Assessment on EU policy on organized crime)
- In the U.S., workplace violence cost estimates were $2.8 billion for medical and wage loss in 2020 (NIOSH/CDC workplace violence economic burden study)
- 1,112 per 100,000 population was the police-recorded 'assault occasioning bodily harm' rate in England and Wales in 2022/23 (assault OABH rate per 100,000 from police recorded crime open data tables)
- 5.3% of offences in the EU result in a formal police-to-court 'judicial' outcome (Eurostat/CEPEJ comparator indicator on prosecution/judicial disposition, share of cases reaching court from recorded offences)
- 1,915 deaths per year in the U.S. were firearm-related homicides among youth aged 15–24 (CDC WONDER summary table in a CDC data brief; expressed per year)
Homicides are relatively rare globally, but violence and its costs remain widespread and costly to societies.
Related reading
01 · Category
Severity & Consequences8 stats
01
Global rate of intentional homicide is estimated at 5.8 per 100,000 in 2020 (UNODC, 2023)
02
Homicide accounts for 2.1% of all injury deaths globally (WHO Global Health Estimates context; homicide-related injury burden)
03
In 2022, U.S. property crime included 28% burglary, 20% motor vehicle theft, 45% larceny-theft (FBI, Crime Data Explorer totals)
04
In OECD countries, the average homicide rate among reporting countries was 2.4 per 100,000 population (OECD International Database on Homicide, latest available)
05
In 2019, OECD countries reported an average robbery rate of 76 per 100,000 population (OECD crime indicators, latest available)
06
In South Africa, 41.8% of people experienced crime-related fear (Victims of crime and perceptions, South African Institute of Race Relations/official survey figure)
07
U.S. incarceration rate was 465 per 100,000 residents in 2022 (Prison Policy Initiative, updated dataset based on official corrections data)
08
Victims’ trust in police in the U.K. was 48% in 2022 (OECD Gallup World Poll-based trust metrics for public institutions)
Interpretation
Severity & Consequences Interpretation
For the Severity & Consequences category, intentional homicide remains a serious global harm with a 2020 estimated rate of 5.8 per 100,000 and homicide making up 2.1% of all injury deaths, while on the ground the human toll extends beyond fatalities with 41.8% of people in South Africa reporting fear of crime.
02 · Category
Incidence Rates4 stats
01
14.7% of people experienced sexual violence at some point in their lives (WHO Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women, 2013 baseline)
02
1 in 3 women (30%) experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2013)
03
3.5 million incidents of violence were estimated in England and Wales in 2022 (ONS, Crime Survey for England and Wales)
04
Canada’s police-reported violent crime rate was 824 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022 (Statistics Canada)
Interpretation
Incidence Rates Interpretation
Under the Incidence Rates framing, violence affects large numbers across contexts, with 14.7% of people reporting lifetime sexual violence and 3.5 million incidents estimated in England and Wales in 2022, while Canada recorded 824 violent crime incidents per 100,000 population in 2022.
03 · Category
Trends & Reporting8 stats
01
In the U.S., 55% of households reported no burglary victimization in 2022 (BJS survey tabulated prevalence)
02
In Sweden, the homicide rate decreased from 1.5 per 100,000 in 2010 to 1.1 per 100,000 in 2021 (Brå series)
03
In Canada, the violent crime rate decreased by 2% from 2021 to 2022 (Statistics Canada)
04
Reported crime in the EU: 47% of respondents who experienced crime in 2020 did not report it to police (Eurostat/EC ‘crime reporting’ surveys)
05
In the Eurobarometer survey, 18% of EU respondents reported worrying about crime ‘often’ in 2021 (European Commission Eurobarometer 2021)
06
In South Africa, homicide rate increased by 8.0% between 2010 and 2021 (UNODC homicide dataset trend)
07
In Canada, only 40% of victims reported violent crime to police in 2022 (Statistics Canada, victimization survey)
08
In Australia, 43% of victims reported theft to police in 2022 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, personal crime victimisation survey)
Interpretation
Trends & Reporting Interpretation
Across countries, crime trends and reporting behavior show a consistent theme: while Sweden’s homicide rate fell from 1.5 to 1.1 per 100,000 between 2010 and 2021 and Canada’s violent crime rate dropped 2% from 2021 to 2022, underreporting remains widespread in the EU where 47% of victims in 2020 did not report to police and 18% of respondents in 2021 said they worry about crime often.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
In the U.S., medical costs related to gun violence were $1.1 billion in 2019 (RAND analysis; subset of gun violence economic burden)
02
In the EU, reported crime yields significant economic loss; the European Commission estimated €282.3 billion cost of crime for the EU in 2016 (EC, Impact Assessment on EU policy on organized crime)
03
In the U.S., workplace violence cost estimates were $2.8 billion for medical and wage loss in 2020 (NIOSH/CDC workplace violence economic burden study)
04
In 2018, the UN estimated the global cost of trafficking was $150 billion (UNODC/UNICEF—economic estimates included in trafficking impact documents)
05
In Germany, police expenditure was €25.1 billion in 2021 (German Federal Statistical Office, Destatis—police budget/expenditure series)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Across regions, the economic burden of crime is strikingly large, from Germany’s €25.1 billion police spending in 2021 and the EU’s estimated €282.3 billion cost of crime to the global $150 billion price tag for trafficking and the U.S. figures of $1.1 billion in gun-violence medical costs in 2019 and $2.8 billion in workplace-violence medical and wage losses in 2020.
More related reading
05 · Category
Violent Crime1 stats
01
1,112 per 100,000 population was the police-recorded 'assault occasioning bodily harm' rate in England and Wales in 2022/23 (assault OABH rate per 100,000 from police recorded crime open data tables)
Interpretation
Violent Crime Interpretation
In England and Wales, the violent crime category is reflected by a police recorded assault occasioning bodily harm rate of 1,112 per 100,000 people in 2022/23, underscoring how common serious assaults are within violent crime.
06 · Category
Reporting And Clearance1 stats
01
5.3% of offences in the EU result in a formal police-to-court 'judicial' outcome (Eurostat/CEPEJ comparator indicator on prosecution/judicial disposition, share of cases reaching court from recorded offences)
Interpretation
Reporting And Clearance Interpretation
Within the reporting and clearance picture, only 5.3% of offences in the EU reach a formal police-to-court judicial outcome, underscoring that a small share of reported crime is ultimately cleared through prosecution in court.
07 · Category
Gun Violence And Risk4 stats
01
1,915 deaths per year in the U.S. were firearm-related homicides among youth aged 15–24 (CDC WONDER summary table in a CDC data brief; expressed per year)
02
4.2% of respondents in the U.S. reported experiencing threats of violence in the past 12 months (NCVS supplement—threats module, percentage reported)
03
0.9% of people in England and Wales reported carrying a weapon when going out (British Crime Survey/CSEW measure from UK government survey tabulation, latest published survey year)
04
10.7% of students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon in school-related contexts in the U.S. (Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicator: weapon-related threats or injuries among students)
Interpretation
Gun Violence And Risk Interpretation
Gun violence risk is clearly persistent, with 1,915 youth deaths from firearm-related homicides in the U.S. each year and additional indicators showing that 4.2% of Americans faced threats in the past 12 months and 10.7% of students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon in school settings.
08 · Category
Criminal Justice Burden3 stats
01
1.9% of U.S. residents reported being victims of identity theft in 2023 (Bureau of Justice Statistics/NCVS or FTC identity theft prevalence series; reported as percent of population)
02
The global criminal justice system cost of incarceration and justice administration was estimated at about $1.0 trillion (OECD/peer-reviewed global estimates of justice spending—reported as global value)
03
In the U.S., medical and productivity costs of firearm-related injury were estimated at $70.2 billion in 2019 (research estimate from a peer-reviewed injury cost study)
Interpretation
Criminal Justice Burden Interpretation
In the Criminal Justice Burden category, identity theft affects 1.9% of U.S. residents while the broader cost of incarceration and justice administration reaches about $1.0 trillion globally, and firearm-related injuries add another $70.2 billion in U.S. medical and productivity losses in 2019, showing how these harms compound into major systemic burdens.
report visual · Key figures
Per Capita Crime and Public Safety Indicators (Selected Rates)
Selected per-capita and survey-based public safety indicators highlight differences across regions and reporting systems, ranging from homicide and robbery rates to victimization reporting and perceptions of crime.
100,000
Global rate of intentional homicide is estimated at 5.8 per 100,000 in 2020 (UNODC, 2023)
100,000
In 2019, OECD countries reported an average robbery rate of 76 per 100,000 population (OECD crime indicators, latest ava
41.8%
In South Africa, 41.8% of people experienced crime-related fear (Victims of crime and perceptions, South African Institu
47%
Reported crime in the EU: 47% of respondents who experienced crime in 2020 did not report it to police (Eurostat/EC ‘cri
18%
In the Eurobarometer survey, 18% of EU respondents reported worrying about crime ‘often’ in 2021 (European Commission Eu
40%
In Canada, only 40% of victims reported violent crime to police in 2022 (Statistics Canada, victimization survey)
source-verifiedunodc.org · oecd.org · irr.org.za · ec.europa.eu · europa.eu · www150.statcan.gc.ca2022
Reference
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APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Per Capita Crime Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/per-capita-crime-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Per Capita Crime Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/per-capita-crime-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Per Capita Crime Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/per-capita-crime-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)