In 2023, property crime was the most common type of crime committed in the United States, with over 6.41 million offenses reported to the FBI. In the same year, there were around 1.22 million cases of violent crime reported to the FBI, of which there were 19,252 cases of homicide, including murder and nonnegligent manslaughter.
In 2023, the violent crime rate in the United States was 363.8 cases per 100,000 of the population. Even though the violent crime rate has been decreasing since 1990, the United States tops the ranking of countries with the most prisoners. In addition, due to the FBI's transition to a new crime reporting system in which law enforcement agencies voluntarily submit crime reports, data may not accurately reflect the total number of crimes committed in recent years. Reported violent crime rate in the United States The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation tracks the rate of reported violent crimes per 100,000 U.S. inhabitants. In the timeline above, rates are shown starting in 1990. The rate of reported violent crime has fallen since a high of 758.20 reported crimes in 1991 to a low of 363.6 reported violent crimes in 2014. In 2023, there were around 1.22 million violent crimes reported to the FBI in the United States. This number can be compared to the total number of property crimes, roughly 6.41 million that year. Of violent crimes in 2023, aggravated assaults were the most common offenses in the United States, while homicide offenses were the least common. Law enforcement officers and crime clearance Though the violent crime rate was down in 2013, the number of law enforcement officers also fell. Between 2005 and 2009, the number of law enforcement officers in the United States rose from around 673,100 to 708,800. However, since 2009, the number of officers fell to a low of 626,900 officers in 2013. The number of law enforcement officers has since grown, reaching 720,652 in 2023. In 2023, the crime clearance rate in the U.S. was highest for murder and non-negligent manslaughter charges, with around 57.8 percent of murders being solved by investigators and a suspect being charged with the crime. Additionally, roughly 46.1 percent of aggravated assaults were cleared in that year. A statistics report on violent crime in the U.S. can be found here.
In 2024, the topmost crime in Panama was domestic violence, with over 21 thousand registered cases, followed by thefts, with almost 17 thousand cases.
In 2023, the most frequent crimes in Argentina were robberies and thefts, both with over 350,000 registered cases each. During a 2024 survey, crime ranked as the third main problem of Argentina according to public opinion, only surpassed by inflation and low wages.
Between June 2023 and May 2024, the most frequent crimes in El Salvador were thefts, with almost 7,000 cases. In total, the public prosecutors of El Salvador reported 15,620 high impact crimes, a considerable decrease when compared to the previous year. The number of offenses in some of the main categories of property crimes is significantly lower than in other years, for example, the number of thefts or robberies of vehicles transporting goods decreased by almost 60 percent in 2020 when compared with 2019. With these numbers, it is no surprise that the approval rate of the current government is over 85 percent. The falling homicide rate In 2015, the homicide rate in El Salvador was over 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest figures in the world. Nonetheless, during the past years, the rate dropped to less than 20 homicides. El Salvador lived through two of the highest days of violence, with over 74 homicides on March 25th and 26th, 2022. Two days after, El Salvador's government declared a state of emergency to counter gang activity and try to end the wave of violence. Once more, the population seems to back up the government, with over 75 percent of Salvadorans declaring that they feel safe with the current emergency state. The economic cost of violence Violence and crime are two of the main problems society faces in El Salvador and the Central American region. In addition to the lack of security, it also generates economic losses, the cost of violence accounted for over 8,849 million USD in 2022, which is over 15 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, almost double the global average. This figure represents the expenditure of a country to deal with the outcome of violence, contain it, and prevent it from spreading and continuing.
In 2024, the highest amount of crimes recorded in the state of São Paulo was for thievery, excluding vehicle thievery, with more than half a million cases. The second most common crime was robberies, with nearly 189,000 incidences.
Drinking alcohol on the street was the most common offense witnessed by people in Mexico in 2024. When asked which type of crime or antisocial activity they had witnessed, over 63 percent of respondents said alcohol consumption. The second most reported kind of crime was drug consumption, whereas 50 percent of the people surveyed said they had seen this type of crime.
In 2023, the state with the highest crime rate in the United States per 100,000 inhabitants was New Mexico. That year, the crime rate was ******** crimes per 100,000 people. In comparison, New Hampshire had the lowest crime rate at ****** crimes per 100,000 people. Crime rate The crime rate in the United States has generally decreased over time. There are several factors attributed to the decrease in the crime rate across the United States. An increase in the number of police officers and an increase in income are some of the reasons for a decrease in the crime rate. Unfortunately, people of color have been disproportionately affected by crime rates, as they are more likely to be arrested for a crime versus a white person. Crime rates regionally The District of Columbia had the highest rate of reported violent crimes in the United States in 2023 per 100,000 inhabitants. The most common crime clearance type in metropolitan counties in the United States in 2020 was murder and non-negligent manslaughter. The second most dangerous city in the country in 2020 was Detroit. Detroit has faced severe levels of economic and demographic declines in the past years. Not only has the population decreased, the city has filed for bankruptcy. Despite the median household income increasing, the city still struggles financially.
Between November 2023 and April 2024, the crime with the highest victim rate in Peru was robbery with ** victims per 100 inhabitants. The second highest was robbery attempts, followed by scams, both with over * victims per 100 inhabitants.
In 2024, the most common property crime recorded in Colombia was robbery against persons, with 310,000 cases. The second most common crime was vehicle theft, with nearly 50,000 incidents.
In 2023, the most frequent crimes in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina were robberies and thefts both with over 60,000 registered cases each. During a survey in 2024, crime ranked as the third main problem of Argentina according to public opinion, only surpassed by inflation and low wages. Prisoner population in Argentina Similar to the situation in Buenos Aires, the most prevalent crimes in Argentina were robberies, with approximately 362,566 cases reported in 2021, followed by thefts and threats. Given this prevalent crime environment, Argentina ranked as the 15th country with the largest number of prisoners worldwide in 2022. However, when population size is factored in, Argentina is ranked 19th among the Latin American countries, with 249 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. Femicides in Argentina Over the past years, the number of femicides in Argentina has seen an increase, totaling 308 as of 2023, almost 60 cases more than the previous year. Notably, a correlation has been identified among these murders, with a significant portion of them occurring at the victim's home, accounting for 46 percent. Additionally, 39 percent of femicide victims had a relationship with the perpetrator, often being partners.
In 2023, an estimated 1,21,467 violent crimes occurred in the United States. This is a decrease from the year before, when 1,256,671 violent crimes were reported. Violent crime in the United States The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that violent crime fell nationwide in the period from 1990 to 2023. Violent crime was at a height of 1.93 million crimes in 1992, but has since reached a low of 1.15 million violent crimes in 2014. When conducting crime reporting, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program considered murder, nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault to be violent crimes, because they are offenses which involve force or threat of violence. In 2023, there were 19,252 reported murder and nonnegligent manslaughter cases in the United States. California ranked first on a list of U.S. states by number of murders, followed by Texas, and Florida.The greatest number of murders were committed by murderers of unknown relationship to their victim. “Girlfriend” was the fourth most common relationship of victim to offender in 2023, with a reported 568 partners murdering their girlfriends that year, while the sixth most common was “wife.” In addition, seven people were murdered by their employees and 12 people were murdered by their employers. The most used murder weapon in 2023 was the handgun, which was used in 7,1 murders that year. According to the FBI, firearms (of all types) were used in more than half of the nation’s murders. The total number of firearms manufactured in the U.S. annually has reached over 13 million units.
A total of over ************ crimes were committed in Mexico City in 2023. The most common type of crime was theft or robbery on the street or public transport, which accounted for around **** percent of the total number of crimes. In 2023, the crime incidence rate in the country's capital was around ****** crimes per 100,000 inhabitants.
In 2023, approximately *** theft offenses were recognized by the police per 100,000 inhabitants in Japan, representing the crime type that most frequently occurred in Japanese society. Property damage followed, with the rate of about **** cases among 100,000 of the population.
In 2023, ********* property and violent crimes were reported in California - the most out of any state. Texas followed behind, with ******* reported crimes. However, as the FBI estimates national trends of crime by asking law enforcement agencies across the country to self-report their crime data, the reported number of crimes committed in each state is dependent upon whether they provided the information to the Bureau's crime reporting system. For example, the state of Florida reported only *** percent of their crime data in 2022, raising the question of whether Florida has again failed to report the majority of their crimes in 2023 and if they should be higher up on this list. As many states have neglected to report all of their crime data to the FBI in the last few years, the total numbers may not accurately represent the number of crimes committed in each state.
In April 2024, within the Mexican state of Puebla, the most prevalent crime reported was robbery, accounting for 42.27 percent of all documented offenses. It was followed by domestic violence and incidents of physical injuries.
Between 2014 and 2023, the annual number of crimes committed in the country decreased. In 2014, the number of crimes reported by the police to the judicial authority amounted to 2.8 million, whereas in 2023, this figure decreased to 2.34 million. Crime in Italy In 2023, the most common crime in Italy was theft. The police reported about one million delinquencies to the juridical authority. The three regions with the highest number of thefts were Lombardy, Lazio, and Campania. Fiat Panda: the most frequently stolen passenger car in Italy Vehicle theft is another common crime in Italy, which in 2017 about 20 percent of Italians feared. In the year considered, the most frequently stolen passenger cars were the Fiat Panda, Fiat Punto, and Fiat Cinquecento.
During November 2024, in the Mexican city of Guadalajara the most common crime was robberies with a 33.7 percent of the total documented crimes. Followed by frauds with 10.3 percent and domestic violence with 11.2 percent of the total.
In 2023, thefts of varying severity were the most reported crime in Spain, accounting for over ******* cases. Computer frauds was the second most reported crime at ******* cases, and damage came in third at over ******* occurrences.
In 2023, the most frequent crime was extortion, with a rate of ***** cases for every 100,000 habitants in Guatemala, a **** percent increased when compared to the year prior. Followed by theft and robbery with **** cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
In 2023, property crime was the most common type of crime committed in the United States, with over 6.41 million offenses reported to the FBI. In the same year, there were around 1.22 million cases of violent crime reported to the FBI, of which there were 19,252 cases of homicide, including murder and nonnegligent manslaughter.