From Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report June 2026 released today, the above chart and:
There were 45 homicide victims recorded by the police in Scotland in 2024-25, a 21% decrease from 2023-24 and a 24% decrease from 2015-16.
That’s 0.81 per 100 000 people.
How does it compare?
In England and Wales the ratio was 0.95 but that’s a bigger difference than it looks. It’s 17.3% higher and if the rates were similar, based on population, they’d have around 11 times as many or 500 but an extra 22 died last year.1Also the trend there is up.
Scotland’s rate is far below the world and regional averages.
- Global average: ~5.6–5.8 per 100,000. 2
- Americas: Much higher ~15 per 100k
- Central America/Caribbean: 30–40.
- Africa: ~12/13.
- Asia: ~2.3.
- United States: ~5.8. 3
Even in Eastern Europe – up to 4.2.4
The EU average in 0.9, still statistically higher than in Scotland. 5
Even Sweden is 1.15.6
Only two places compete – Denmark at 0.847 and Norway at 0.72.8
Sources:
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025
- https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/gsh/2023/Global_study_on_homicide_2023_web.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1268504/homicide-rate-europe-country/?srsltid=AfmBOopcC6ahe4tv3UONq4waxxkXj7WIVa0MTtbZMw_pJUAuFeE2-z9n
- https://www.facebook.com/aage.myhre/posts/the-eu-average-homicide-rate-is-approximately-09-per-100000-inhabitants-as-of-20/10164254036793117/
- https://www.reuters.com/world/homicides-sweden-hit-lowest-level-over-decade-2025-2026-03-31/
- https://www.dst.dk/en/Statistik/temaer/SDG/globale-verdensmaal/16-fred-retfaerdighed-og-staerke-institutioner/delmaal-01/indikator-1
- https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/nor/norway/murder-homicide-rate
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