Imagine a crime so common that while America logged over 200,000 cases in a single year and global numbers hit 1.1 million, your personal risk could swing wildly depending on your age, location, and background.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the United States reported 202,831 robberies to law enforcement, marking a 1.6% decrease from 206,468 in 2021 according to FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program data
- Globally, there were an estimated 1.1 million robberies recorded by police in 2020 across 100+ countries reporting to UNODC, representing a 5% decline from 2019 levels
- In England and Wales, police-recorded robbery offences totalled 73,508 in the year ending March 2023, up 7% from the previous year per Office for National Statistics
- In the U.S., males comprised 86% of robbery victims aged 12+ in 2019 per BJS NCVS
- Black individuals were 2.4 times more likely than whites to be robbed in U.S. 2017-2021 per BJS
- Persons aged 20-24 had the highest robbery victimization rate of 3.2 per 1,000 in U.S. 2021 per NCVS
- U.S. offenders in robberies were 88% male in 2021 arrests per FBI UCR
- Black Americans accounted for 51% of robbery arrests in U.S. 2021 despite 13% population per FBI
- Average age of U.S. robbery arrestees was 27.4 years in 2021 per FBI
- Street robberies comprised 55% of U.S. total robberies in 2022 per FBI
- Gun use in 40% of U.S. nonfatal robberies 2021 per NCVS
- In UK, phone snatching (robbers on bikes/scooters) up 50% to 78,000 in 2022 per Home Office
- U.S. robbery cost society $29 billion annually in 2017 per NIJ
- Average U.S. robbery loss $1,200 per incident 2021 per NCVS
- UK robberies cost £4.6 billion in 2022 including losses and fear per Home Office
Robbery trends vary significantly by country with overall rates declining slowly.
Incidence and Prevalence
- In 2022, the United States reported 202,831 robberies to law enforcement, marking a 1.6% decrease from 206,468 in 2021 according to FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program data
- Globally, there were an estimated 1.1 million robberies recorded by police in 2020 across 100+ countries reporting to UNODC, representing a 5% decline from 2019 levels
- In England and Wales, police-recorded robbery offences totalled 73,508 in the year ending March 2023, up 7% from the previous year per Office for National Statistics
- Canada saw 23,571 robberies in 2022, a 15% increase from 2021 according to Statistics Canada
- Australia reported 25,912 robbery incidents in 2021-22, down 2% from prior year per Australian Bureau of Statistics
- In 2021, Germany had 35,423 robberies, a 4.2% drop from 2020 as per Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA)
- France recorded 51,500 robberies in 2022, stable compared to 2021 according to Ministry of Interior
- India estimated 2.2 million robbery cases under IPC in 2022 per National Crime Records Bureau
- South Africa had 21,325 robberies reported in 2022/23, up 3% from previous year per South African Police Service
- Brazil reported 433,066 robberies in 2022, a 4% decrease from 2021 according to Brazilian Public Security Forum
- Japan logged 1,722 robberies in 2022, lowest in postwar records per National Police Agency
- Mexico City alone had 12,456 robberies in Q1 2023 per local Secretariat of Security
- New York City reported 13,468 robberies in 2022, up 30% from 2021 NYPD data
- Los Angeles saw 5,877 robberies in 2022, a 10.3% increase per LAPD
- Chicago had 8,015 robberies in 2022, down 2% from 2021 per CPD
- London recorded 98,089 robbery offences in 2022/23, up 24% per Metropolitan Police
- In the EU, robbery rates fell 12% from 2012 to 2021 per Eurostat, averaging 68 per 100,000 population in 2021
- Nigeria reported 12,000+ armed robberies in 2022 per Nigeria Police Force
- Russia had 12,500 robberies in 2022, down 8% per Interior Ministry
- Sweden saw 5,800 robberies in 2022, up 10% from 2021 per BRA
- In 2021, U.S. robbery rate was 59.3 per 100,000 inhabitants per FBI
- UK robbery rate stood at 105 per 100,000 in 2022/23 per ONS
- Philippines reported 3,500 robberies in 2022 per PNP
- Argentina had 45,000 robberies in Buenos Aires province alone in 2022 per local stats
- Turkey recorded 22,000 robberies in 2022 per Turkish Statistical Institute
- In 2022, U.S. robberies accounted for 0.6% of all violent crimes per FBI
- Colombia saw 25,000 robberies in Bogota 2022 per local police
- Italy reported 22,000 robberies in 2022, down 5% per ISTAT
- Spain had 29,000 robberies in 2022 per Ministry of Interior
Incidence and Prevalence Interpretation
The global picture of robbery is a chaotic quilt of crime trends, stitched together by wildly varying national threads—where one country's sharp decline is another's alarming spike, proving that while the world may be getting slightly less grabby on average, your personal safety still depends heavily on your postal code.
Modus Operandi and Locations
- Street robberies comprised 55% of U.S. total robberies in 2022 per FBI
- Gun use in 40% of U.S. nonfatal robberies 2021 per NCVS
- In UK, phone snatching (robbers on bikes/scooters) up 50% to 78,000 in 2022 per Home Office
- Convenience stores were site of 12% U.S. robberies 2022 per FBI NIBRS
- Residence burglaries with robbery element 8% of total U.S. 2021 per NCVS
- Canada bank robberies fell to 150 in 2022 from 300 prior per RCMP
- Australia smash-and-grab robberies rose 20% in retail 2021-22 per ABS
- France ATM robberies 5,000 in 2022, down 10% per Interieur
- 25% German robberies involved knives in 2022 per BKA
- U.S. highway robberies 3% of total, often carjackings per NHTSA 2021
- Sweden moped gang robberies 1,200 in 2022 per police
- NYC subway robberies 1,200 in 2022, up 25% per MTA/NYPD
- Brazil carjacking robberies 100,000+ in 2022 per FBSP
- 35% UK robberies with weapon in 2022 per ONS
- LA jewelry store robberies spiked 50% to 100+ in 2022 per LAPD
- South Africa house robberies 18,000 in 2022/23 per SAPS
- Chicago armed robberies 70% of total 2022 per CPD
- Australia online marketplace meetup robberies rose 30% 2021 per AIC
- Japan home invasion robberies rare, only 200 in 2022 per NPA
- Mexico street robberies 80% of total in CDMX 2022 per SSC
- EU commercial robberies 20% of total 2021 per Eurostat
Modus Operandi and Locations Interpretation
While guns dominate U.S. headlines and phones vanish from British hands, the global story of robbery reveals a criminal menu that's ruthlessly local, from Canada's plummeting bank heists to L.A.'s sparkling jewelry store sprees.
Offender Characteristics
- U.S. offenders in robberies were 88% male in 2021 arrests per FBI UCR
- Black Americans accounted for 51% of robbery arrests in U.S. 2021 despite 13% population per FBI
- Average age of U.S. robbery arrestees was 27.4 years in 2021 per FBI
- 15% of U.S. robbery offenders had prior felony convictions per BJS 2019 data
- In UK, 70% of convicted robbers were under 25 in 2022 per MoJ
- Gang affiliation noted in 25% of U.S. urban robberies 2021 per NIJ study
- Canada robbery offenders were 85% male, 40% Indigenous in 2022 per StatsCan
- In Australia, 60% of robbery offenders had substance abuse issues per AIC 2021
- French robbers averaged 28 years old, 75% unemployed in 2022 per Ministry
- 45% of German robbery offenders were non-German nationals in 2022 per BKA
- U.S. white offenders 45% of robbery arrests 2021 per FBI
- Sweden robbers 50% foreign-born in 2022 per BRA
- NYC robbery suspects 55% Black, 30% Hispanic in 2022 per NYPD
- Brazil robbery offenders 80% male under 30 in 2022 per FBSP
- 30% of UK robbers had mental health diagnoses per MoJ 2022
- LA robbery arrestees 40% homeless in 2022 per LAPD
- South Africa robbers 90% male, average age 25 in 2022 per ISS
- Chicago robbery offenders 70% Black in 2022 per CPD data
- 65% of Australian robbers recidivists per AIC 2021
- Japan robbery offenders 95% male, often unemployed per NPA 2022
- Mexican robbers 60% gang members in urban areas 2022 per SESNSP
- EU robbery offenders average 27 years, 82% male in 2021 per Eurostat
Offender Characteristics Interpretation
The portrait of a robber, painted by these cold statistics across multiple nations, is consistently one of a young man, often unemployed and entangled in issues of substance, gang life, or systemic disadvantage, revealing a global crime of desperation far more than one of simple greed.
Socioeconomic and Policy Impacts
- U.S. robbery cost society $29 billion annually in 2017 per NIJ
- Average U.S. robbery loss $1,200 per incident 2021 per NCVS
- UK robberies cost £4.6 billion in 2022 including losses and fear per Home Office
- Canada robbery economic cost $2.5 billion CAD in 2014 updated estimates per Public Safety Canada
- U.S. robbery clearance rate 25.5% in 2022 lowest among violent crimes per FBI
- Australia robbery prevention via CCTV reduced incidents 15% in monitored areas per AIC
- France post-2015 security laws cut robberies 20% in targeted zones per INHESJ
- Germany robbery clearance 45% in 2022 per BKA
- U.S. states with right-to-carry laws saw 5-7% robbery drop per Lott study 2020 update
- UK knife ban post-2018 reduced robbery weapons 10% per MoJ
- Brazil UPP program reduced Rio robberies 30% in favelas 2010-2020 per IPEA
- NYC CompStat policing cut robberies 70% from 1990 peak per NYPD
- Sweden cashless society reduced robberies 40% 2010-2022 per Riksbank
- South Africa private security prevented 20% robberies in 2022 per SAPS
- U.S. robbery recidivism 40% within 3 years per BJS 2018
- Chicago violence interrupter programs lowered robbery hotspots 25% per CF
- EU robbery rates correlate -0.6 with GDP per capita per Eurostat 2021
- Japan community policing boasts 90% robbery clearance rate 2022 per NPA
- Mexico cash transfers reduced youth robbery involvement 15% per eval 2022
- In U.S., robberies caused 510 homicides in 2022 (felony murders) per FBI SHR
- LA predictive policing reduced robberies 7-21% in test zones per UCLA study
- UK problem-oriented policing cut repeat robberies 18% per College of Policing
Socioeconomic and Policy Impacts Interpretation
Robbery may be a persistent and costly global problem, but the data reveals a clear, if difficult, truth: the best solutions are a varied, diligent, and often local mix of smart policy, community investment, and relentless policing, as no single law or technology can fully stop a crime where the average take is often less than the societal price we all pay.
Victim Characteristics
- In the U.S., males comprised 86% of robbery victims aged 12+ in 2019 per BJS NCVS
- Black individuals were 2.4 times more likely than whites to be robbed in U.S. 2017-2021 per BJS
- Persons aged 20-24 had the highest robbery victimization rate of 3.2 per 1,000 in U.S. 2021 per NCVS
- In urban U.S. areas, robbery victimization rate was 2.3 per 1,000 vs 0.8 in rural 2021 per BJS
- 54% of U.S. robbery victims in 2019 were employed full-time per NCVS
- Among U.S. robbery victims 12+, 25% were injured in 2021 per BJS
- In England, 42% of robbery victims were under 25 in 2022 per CSEW
- UK male robbery victims outnumbered females 3:1 in 2022/23 per ONS
- In Canada, Indigenous people were 3x more likely to be robbed than non-Indigenous in 2019 per StatsCan
- 68% of Australian robbery victims were male in 2021-22 per ABS Crime Victimisation Survey
- In France, 30% of robbery victims were tourists in Paris 2022 per police stats
- U.S. Hispanics had robbery victimization rate of 1.8 per 1,000 in 2021 vs 1.1 for non-Hispanics per BJS
- Elderly (65+) U.S. robbery rate was 0.4 per 1,000 in 2021, lowest age group per NCVS
- In Sweden, immigrants were 2.5x more likely to be robbery victims than natives in 2022 per BRA
- 40% of NYC robbery victims in 2022 were Asian per NYPD
- In Brazil, 55% of robbery victims were low-income in 2022 per FBSP survey
- UK student robbery victims rose 20% in 2022, 15% of total per ONS
- In Germany, 35% of robbery victims were under 20 in 2022 per BKA
- U.S. poor households (<$25k) had 2.5x robbery rate of high-income in 2021 per NCVS
- In LA, 28% of robbery victims were homeless in 2022 per LAPD
- Female UK robbery victims reported higher injury rates (35%) than males (22%) in 2022 per CSEW
- In South Africa, 60% of robbery victims were Black Africans in 2022 per SAPS
- Chicago robbery victims were 45% Black, 30% Hispanic in 2022 per CPD
- In Australia, Indigenous robbery victimization rate was 12.5 per 1,000 vs 1.2 national in 2021 per ABS
- 22% of U.S. robbery victims used public transport at time of incident 2021 per NCVS
- In Japan, elderly robbery victims increased 15% to 25% of total in 2022 per NPA
- Mexican robbery victims in 2022 were 52% male, 48% female per INEGI
- In the EU, young adults (15-29) made up 45% of robbery victims in 2021 per Eurostat
Victim Characteristics Interpretation
This grim global audit reveals robbery to be a crime that systematically preys upon the young, the male, the poor, and the marginalized, with geographic variations only in the specific shade of vulnerability being targeted.
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