Homicide Statistics

Homicide is the killing of one person by another. It accounts for a very small proportion of deaths each year in England and Wales; for the most recent five years of mortality data, from 2020 to 2024, homicides accounted for one in every 700 deaths.

Historical data on recorded homicides in England and Wales is published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Since records began in 1898, the number of homicides recorded has increased from around 300 a year, to over 500 a year since the 1970s. The number of offences peaked in 2002/03 (includes 173 victims of Dr Harold Shipman) but has since fallen.

In the last decade, the average number of homicides each year has been 626. In the year ending March 2024, there were 575 homicide offences recorded in England and Wales. In the year to March 2025, there were 45 cases of homicide recorded in Scotland and 16 recorded in Northern Ireland.

Homicide rates by area

The chart below shows the rate of homicide in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland since 2001. This is the number of homicides a year for every million people.

Source: Police Service of Northern Ireland, Scottish Government, Homicide in England and Wales, ONS population estimates

In the latest year of data, of all in the UK nations, Scotland had the highest rate of homicide at 10.3 offences per million people. The rate in England and Wales was 9.3, and in Northern Ireland the rate was 8.3.

In the last three years, the rate of homicide in England and Wales has been highest in London, with an average of 13.5 offences per million population each year, followed by the West Midlands (12.5). Rates are lowest in the South East (6.2) and South West (8.6) of England.

Characteristics of the victims of homicide

The characteristics of homicide victims can vary greatly from year to year, as the overall numbers of offences is relatively low. However, there are some key patterns from the data:

• The majority of homicide victims in England and Wales are male. In the year ending March 2022, 73% of victims were male and 27% were female.
• Female victims of homicide have most commonly been killed by a partner or ex-partner, accounting for 62% of victims in the last decade where the relationship could be determined.
• Male victims of homicide have most commonly been killed by a friend or acquaintance (40% of victims where the relationship was determined).
• In the year ending March 2024, the rate of homicide was highest for Black and Black British victims (39 victims per million population)

Method of killing

In the year ending March 2024, 46% of homicides involved a sharp instrument. This was the most common method of killing, followed by hitting or kicking (without the use of a weapon).

Sentencing and convictions

As of July 2025, charges had been made in almost two thirds (61%) of homicide cases recorded in 2024/25. Just under a third (31%) of cases had not been assigned an outcome.

In the most recent year where data is available, the year to March 2024, 425 people were indicted for homicide and 329 were convicted.

International comparison

We should be careful when comparing homicide rates between countries, due to differences in crime reporting, criminal justice systems, and other factors. However, based on 2021 data, England and Wales had the 14th highest homicide rate of 43 European countries. Estimates from 2023 are available for other UK nations, with Scotland ranking 15 of 35 European countries reported and Northern Ireland ranking 34 of 35.

Footnotes