In 2024, South Africa had a crime index of 75.4, which is to be considered high. However, this was one of the lowest indexes recorded in the country since 2017. Over the observed period, the value continuously fluctuated between 75 and 77. South Africa has the highest crime index in Africa and ranks as the fifth most dangerous country globally according to the same index.

South African Crime Statistics Dataset

This dataset encompasses crime statistics for South Africa, spanning from the financial year 2011/2012 to 2022/2023. The data has been released by the South African Police Services (SAPS) and includes various categories of crime incidents.

SAPS Objective

The South African Police Service has accepted a new and challenging objective to align its crime statistics with international best practices. This commitment is aimed at enhancing the credibility and accuracy of the crime data.

Importance of SAPS Crime Statistics

The crime statistics generated by SAPS play a crucial role in the statistics system's value chain. They inform policy development and planning within the criminal justice system. The collaboration with StatsSA (Statistics South Africa) is seen as a significant step towards improving the integrity of SAPS crime statistics, ensuring that policy-makers have access to high-quality data for informed decision-making.

Dataset structure

.
├── categoris/ 
│  ├── aggravated_robbery_incidents_by_category.csv 
│  ├── contact_crime_incidents_by_category.csv 
│  ├── contact_related_crime_incidents_by_category.csv 
│  ├── crimes_detected_as_a_result_of_police_action.csv 
│  ├── other_serious_crime_incidents_by_category.csv 
│  ├── property_related_crime_incidents_by_category.csv 
│  └── sexual_offence_incidents_by_category.csv 
└── crime_incidents_by_category.csv

Geographical Distribution

The dataset covers various provinces in South Africa, with each province represented by its respective code:

• ZA: South Africa
• EC: Eastern Cape
• FS: Free State
• GT: Gauteng
• KZN: KwaZulu-Natal
• LIM: Limpopo
• MP: Mpumalanga
• NW: North West (Bokone Bophirima)
• NC: Northern Cape (Kapa Bokone)
• WC: Western Cape (Kapa Bodikela)

In 2024, South Africa ranked first in the crime index among African countries, with a score of **** index points. Nigeria was the second most dangerous country on the continent, obtaining **** points. The index evaluates the overall crime levels in a specific country. Several African countries scored between ** and ** points, indicating high crime levels. Escalating concerns: South Africans worry about crime and violence In 2024, South Africa had one of the highest proportions of respondents expressing concerns about crime and violence compared to other countries participating in an online study. Throughout the period examined, the percentage of participants worried about violence peaked at ** percent in March 2023. The escalating levels of violent crime currently witnessed in the country has caused this significant rise in concerned respondents. South Africa's organized crime landscape In 2023, South Africa ranked the ************* in organized crime compared to its African counterparts. The continent's most prevalent organized criminal activity was **************************************. Moreover, from a regional perspective, Southern African countries had the lowest organized crime rate.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) has accepted a new and challeging objective of ensuring that its crime statistics are in line with international best practice. This will be achieved through a Memorandum of Understanding with Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), aimed at further enhancing the quality and integrity of the South African crime statistics. The crime statistics generated by SAPS are an important link in the value chain of the statistics system informs policy development and planning in the criminl justice system. The collaboration with StatsSA will go a long way in enhancing the integrity of the SAPS crime statistics and ensuring that policy-makers have quality data to assist them with making policy decisions.

In the third quarter of 2023/2024, contact crime in South Africa continues to increase except for reports relating to sexual offenses, which recorded 15,284 cases. This is a slight decrease from 15,545 recorded in the previous year. Assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm accounted for the majority of contact crime reports in the third quarter of 2023/2024, whereas assault was the most commonly reported contact crime in the same quarter in 2022/2023.

Historical dataset showing South Africa crime rate per 100K population by year from 1994 to 2021.

In 2024, Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) ranked first in the crime index among African cities, with a rating of roughly ** index points. The six most dangerous areas on the continent were South African cities. The index estimates the overall level of crime in a specific territory. According to the score, crime levels are classified as very high (over 80), high (60-80), moderate (40-60), low (20-40), and very low (below 20). South Africa’s crime situation According to the crime index ranking, ************ was the most dangerous country in Africa in 2023, followed by ***************** and ******. Murder and organized crime are particularly widespread in South Africa. In 2023, the country had one of the highest murder rates globally, registering around ** homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Moreover, South Africa’s crime scene is also characterized by the presence of organized criminal activities, for which the country ranked third in Africa. Reflecting these high levels of crime, a survey conducted in 2023 showed that around ** percent of South Africans were worried about crime and violence in the country. Crime risks in Africa The African continent hosts some of the most dangerous places worldwide. In 2023, *********** and the ******************************** were the least peaceful countries in Africa, according to the Global Peace Index. Worldwide, they ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. Terrorism is a leading type of crime perpetrated in Africa. Home to Boko Aram, Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of terrorism-related deaths globally. Furthermore, Burkina Faso had the highest number of fatalities in the world. Human trafficking is also widespread, predominantly in West Africa. The most common forms of exploitation of victims of trafficking in persons are forced labor and sexual exploitation.

Replication of crime statistics published in pdf format by the South African Police Service in 2010. Data reflects, by police station, the number of serious offences reported at each police station for each financial year between 2003/4 and 2008/9.

The average for 2017 based on 9 countries was 7.6 homicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in South Africa: 35.9 homicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Benin: 1.1 homicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2017. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

As of the fiscal year 2023/2024, the total number of contact crimes in South Africa amounted to ******* cases. This represents an increase of around *** percent from the previous year. The category with the highest number of criminal incidences was common assault, with ******* reported cases. Moreover, attempted murder saw the largest percentage increase at **** percent.

In 2025, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa ranked as the world's most dangerous city with a crime rate of 82 per 100,000 inhabitants. Five of the 10 cities with the highest crime rates worldwide are found in South Africa. The list does not include countries where war and conflict exist. South Africa dominates crime statistics When looking at crime rates, among the 10 most dangerous cities in the world, half of them are found in South Africa. The country is struggling with extremely high levels of inequality, and is struggling with high levels of crime and power outages, harming the country's economy and driving more people into unemployment and poverty. Crime in Latin America On the other hand, when looking at murder rates, Latin America dominates the list of the world's most dangerous countries. Violence in Latin America is caused in great part by drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and gang wars.

Abstract

The VCS series is a countrywide household-based survey that has three main objectives: • Provide information about the dynamics of crime from the perspective of households and the victims of crime • Explore public perceptions of the activities of the police, prosecutors, courts and correctional services in the prevention of crime and victimization • Provide complimentary data on the level of crime within South Africa in addition to the statistics published annually by the South African Police Service.

Geographic coverage

National coverage.

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households in all nine provinces of South Africa and residents in workers' hostels. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students' hostels, old-age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks, and is therefore only representative of non-institutionalized and non-military persons or households in South Africa.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

VCS 2016/2017 uses a Master Sample frame which has been developed as a general-purpose household survey frame that can be used by other Stats SA household-based surveys. VCS 2016/2017 collection was based on the Stats SA 2013 Master Sample. This Master Sample is based on information collected during the 2011 Census conducted by Stats SA. In preparation for Census 2011, the country was divided into 103 576 enumeration areas (EAs). The census EAs, together with the auxiliary information for the EAs, were used as the frame units or building blocks for the formation of primary sampling units (PSUs) for the Master Sample. There are 3 324 primary sampling units (PSUs) in the Master Sample with an expected sample of approximately 33 000 dwelling units (DUs). The updating of the Master Sample as compared to previous VCSs is expected to improve the precision of statistical estimates.

The Master Sample is designed to be representative at provincial level and within provinces at metro/non-metro levels. Within the metros, the sample is further distributed by geographical type. The three geography types are Urban, Tribal and Farms. This implies, for example, that within a metropolitan area, the sample is representative of the different geography types that may exist within that metro.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The questionnaire was developed based on the questions used in the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS), previous VOCSs (both conducted by ISS and Stats SA) with modifications in some instances. The Stats SA questionnaire design standard for household surveys was also used as a normative reference. In order to minimize fieldworker and capturing errors, the questionnaire was largely pre-coded. Sections 10 to 20 of the questionnaire represent household crimes for which a proxy respondent (preferably head of the household or acting head of household) answered on behalf of the household. All analysis done in this report that included demographic variables was done using the demographic characteristics of the household head or proxy. Section 21 to 28 of this questionnaire required that an individual be selected using the birthday section method to respond to questions classified as individual crimes. This methodology selects an individual who is 16 years or older, whose birthday was first to follow the survey date.

In the VOCS 2016/17 questionnaire, respondents were asked what they thought could be the motive for perpetrators committing crime. This question was asked differently in 2016/17 as compared to the previous years. Users are advised to use caution when these responses across the series.

Data appraisal

Comparability:

Prior to 2014/2015, VOCS respondents were asked about their crime-related experiences in the previous calendar year, but since 2014/15 VCS changed to a Continuous Data Collection (CDC) method. In this data collection method, respondents were interviewed on a rolling basis over the course of a year and asked about crime experienced in the 12 months prior to the interview. As a result of this, the victimization experiences reported by respondents interviewed in a period of 12 months relate to a broader span of 23 months.

The National and Provincial statistics shared by South African Police Department SAPS. Data was extracted from the original file in order to present it in a must accessible way.

Data presented as a spreadsheet; Provides the drug-related crime rate across all provinces in South Africa since 2014 Linage: The data presented is extracted from Statistcs South Africa (Stats SA) Mid-year population estimates (MYPE) trends as published on https://www.statssa.gov.za/ and the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Statistics trends as published on https://www.saps.gov.za/services/crimestats.php Data Source: Excel - Provincial projection by sex and age (2002-2024)_web, Stats SA, published 30 July 2024 and 2023-2024 _Annual_Financial year_WEB, SAPS, published ‎2024Contact person: Elize van der Berg, Department of the Premier, Elize.VanDerBerg@westerncape.gov.za

Number, percentage and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, by racialized identity group (total, by racialized identity group; racialized identity group; South Asian; Chinese; Black; Filipino; Arab; Latin American; Southeast Asian; West Asian; Korean; Japanese; other racialized identity group; multiple racialized identity; racialized identity, but racialized identity group is unknown; rest of the population; unknown racialized identity group), gender (all genders; male; female; gender unknown) and region (Canada; Atlantic region; Quebec; Ontario; Prairies region; British Columbia; territories), 2019 to 2024.

Data presented as a spreadsheet; Provides the 17 community reported serious crime rate across all provinces in South Africa since 2014Linage: The data presented is extracted from Statistcs South Africa (Stats SA) Mid-year population estimates (MYPE) trends as published on https://www.statssa.gov.za/ and the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Statistics trends as published on https://www.saps.gov.za/services/crimestats.phpData Source: Excel - Provincial projection by sex and age (2002-2024)_web, Stats SA, published 30 July 2024 and 2023-2024 _Annual_Financial year_WEB, SAPS, published ‎2024Contact person: Elize van der Berg, Department of the Premier, Elize.VanDerBerg@westerncape.gov.za

Abstract

In April 2018, StatsSA launched the Governance Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS) in response to the need for standardised international reporting standards on governance and access to justice that are recommended by the SDGs, ShaSA and Agenda 2063. In compliance with these standards, Stats SA discontinued the separate publication of the Victims of Crime Survey (VCS) and incorporated it within the new GPSJS series. Therefore, the GPSJS represents the new source of microdata on the experience and prevalence of particular kinds of crime within South Africa.

The GPSJS is a countrywide household-based survey which collects data on two types of crimes, namely, vehicle hijacking and home robbery. Business robbery is not covered by the survey. The survey includes information on victimisation experienced by individuals and households and their perspectives on community responses to crime. Additionally, the survey data includes information on legitimacy, voice, equity and discrimination. Therefore, GPSJS data can be used for research in the development of policies and strategies for governance, crime prevention, public safety and justice programmes. The main objectives of the survey are to:

• Provide information about the dynamics of crime from the perspective of households and the victims of crime.

• Explore public perceptions of the activities of the police, prosecutors, courts and correctional services in the prevention of crime and victimisation.

• Provide complimentary data on the level of crime within South Africa in addition to the statistics published annually by the South African Police Service.

NOTE: The GPSJS is a continuation of the VCS series, which ended with VCS 2017/18. Therefore, the VCS 2018/19 can be exctracted from GPSJS 2018/19 and is comparable to previous VCS's only where questions remained the same. Please see Data Quality Notes for more infomation on comparability.

Geographic coverage

The survey has national coverage.

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households in all nine provinces of South Africa, as well as residents in workers' hostels. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students' hostels, old-age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks. It is only representative of non-institutionalised and non-military persons or households in South Africa.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The GPSJS 2020/21 uses the master sample (MS) sampling frame which has been developed as a general-purpose household survey frame that can be used by all other Stats SA household-based surveys having design requirements that are reasonably compatible with GPSJS. The GPSJS 2020/21 collection was drawn from the 2013 master sample. This master sample is based on information collected during Census 2011. In preparation for Census 2011, the country was divided into 103 576 enumeration areas (EAs). The census EAs, together with the auxiliary information for the EAs, were used as the frame units or building blocks for the formation of primary sampling units (PSUs) for the master sample, since they covered the entire country and had other information that is crucial for stratification and creation of PSUs.

There are 3 324 primary sampling units (PSUs) in the master sample with an expected sample of approximately 33 000 dwelling units (DUs). The number of PSUs in the current master sample (3 324) reflect an 8,0% increase in the size of the master sample compared to the previous (2008) master sample (which had 3 080 PSUs). The larger master sample of PSUs was selected to improve the precision (smaller coefficients of variation, known as CVs) of the GPSJS estimates.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Telephone Interview [cati]

Research instrument

The GPSJS 2020/21 questionnaire is based on international reporting standards of governance, public safety and justice defined by the SDGs.

Sections 1 to 3 of the questionnaire relate to household crimes. A proxy respondent (preferably head of the household or acting head of household) answered on behalf of the household. Section 4 to 9 of the questionnaire relate to crimes experienced by individuals and were asked of a household member who was selected using the birthday section method. This methodology selects an individual who is 16 years or older, whose birthday is soonest after the survey date.

Data appraisal

Comparability to VCS series:

While redesigning the VCS into the GPSJS, some questions were modified in order to align the series with international reporting demands (e.g. SDGs) and to improve the accuracy of victim reporting. This caused a break of series for affected questions, in particular questions on 12-month experience of crime. The question on 5-year experience of crime was not changed and hence there is no break of series. The 5-year trends can therefore be used as a proxy for the 12-month series as the two follow similar patterns. Similarity of shapes of the two series makes it possible to predict increase or decrease of crime during the past 12 months using the 5-year series.

According to monthly surveys conducted from January 2023 to December 2024, the share of the respondents in South Africa worried about crime and violence in the country was one of the highest among the countries taking part in the online study. During the period under review, the share of participants concerned about violence and crime in South Africa fluctuated between ** percent, observed in January 2023, and a peak of ** percent, registered in March 2023. This notable increase in concerned respondents is likely due to the escalating levels of violent crime the country is experiencing.

Abstract

The Victims of Crime Survey (VCS) is a countrywide household-based survey which collects data on the prevalence of particular kinds of crime within South Africa. The survey includes information on victimisation experienced by individuals and households and their perspectives on community responses to crime. Therefore, VCS data can be used for research in the development of policies and strategies for crime prevention and public safety and education programmes. Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) conducted its first VCS in 1998. Following the VCS 1998, victims surveys were conducted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). Since 2011, StatsSA began conducting an annual collection of the VCS as a source of information on crime in South Africa. The main objectives of the survey are to:

• Provide information about the dynamics of crime from the perspective of households and the victims of crime.

• Explore public perceptions of the activities of the police, prosecutors, courts and correctional services in the prevention of crime and victimisation.

• Provide complimentary data on the level of crime within South Africa in addition to the statistics published annually by the South African Police Service.

NOTE: The VCS 2017/18 is the eighth and final release in the collection and is comparable to the new Governance Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS). In April 2018, StatsSA launched the GPSJS in response to the need for standardised international reporting standards on governance and access to justice that are recommended by the SDGs, ShaSA and Agenda 2063. In compliance with these standards, Stats SA has discontinued separate publication of the VCS and rather incorporated it within the new GPSJS series. Therefore, VCS 2017/18 represents the final separate release of the series and all subsequent VCS series can be extracted from the GPSJS series (i.e. VCS 2018/19 is contained within GPSJS 2018/19).

Geographic coverage

The survey has national coverage.

Analysis unit

Households and individuals

Universe

The target population of the survey consists of all private households in all nine provinces of South Africa and residents in workers' hostels. The survey does not cover other collective living quarters such as students' hostels, old-age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks, and is therefore only representative of non-institutionalised and non-military persons or households in South Africa.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

VCS 2017/2018 uses a Master Sample frame which has been developed as a general-purpose household survey frame that can be used by other Stats SA household-based surveys. VCS 2017/2018 collection was based on the Stats SA 2013 Master Sample. This Master Sample is based on information collected during the 2011 Census conducted by Stats SA. In preparation for Census 2011, the country was divided into 103 576 enumeration areas (EAs). The census EAs, together with the auxiliary information for the EAs, were used as the frame units or building blocks for the formation of primary sampling units (PSUs) for the Master Sample. There are 3 324 primary sampling units (PSUs) in the Master Sample with an expected sample of approximately 33 000 dwelling units (DUs).The number of PSUs in the current Master Sample (3 324) reflects an 8,0% increase in the size of the Master Sample compared to the previous Master Sample (based on the 2001 Census which had 3 080 PSUs). The updating of the Master Sample as compared to previous VCSs is expected to improve the precision of statistical estimates.

The Master Sample is designed to be representative at provincial level and within provinces at metro/non-metro levels. Within the metros, the sample is further distributed by geographical type. The three geography types are Urban, Tribal and Farms. This implies, for example, that within a metropolitan area, the sample is representative of the different geography types that may exist within that metro.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The VCS 2017/18 questionnaire was based on the questionnaires used in the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS) and previous VOCSs conducted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Statistics SA.

Sections 10 to 20 of the questionnaire relate to household crimes. A proxy respondent (preferably head of the household or acting head of household) answered on behalf of the household. Section 21 to 28 of the questionnaire about crimes on individuals were asked of a household member who was selected using the birthday section method. This methodology selects an individual who is 16 years or older, whose birthday is soonest after the survey date.

Data appraisal

Comparability:

Prior to 2014/2015, VOCS respondents were asked about their crime-related experiences in the previous calendar year, but since 2014/15 VCS changed to a Continuous Data Collection (CDC) method. In this data collection method, respondents were interviewed on a rolling basis over the course of a year and asked about crime experienced in the 12 months prior to the interview. As a result of this, the victimisation experiences reported by respondents interviewed in a period of 12 months relate to a broader span of 23 months.

The VCS 2017/18 is comparable to all previous VCSs iin that several questions have remained unchanged over time. Where possible, it was generally indicated in the report. Additionally, the VCS 2017/18 is the last before VCS became incorproated into a broader survey called the GPSJS. The change to the surveys will likely cause some comparability issues going forward beyond 2018.

Metadata: There is an error in the SSA published metadata, which incorrectly states that the survey was designed with 3080 PSUs. The survey was designed with 3324 PSUs.

Historical dataset showing South Africa murder/homicide rate per 100K population by year from 1994 to 2021.