The homicide rate in the year to March 2025 was the lowest since 1977: 8.6 per million people
Offences recorded as homicide, 1967 to 2025, and NHS hospital admissions for assault with a knife or other sharp object, 2013 to 2026. Per million people, England and Wales.
Latest figures
| Series | Period | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per million people | Year to March 2025 | 8.6 |
| Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object, per million people | Year to March 2026 | 54 |
Notes
- These two measures don't depend much on how the police record crime, unlike most police figures: almost every homicide is recorded, and hospital admissions come from NHS records.
- Homicide covers murder, manslaughter and infanticide, counted in the year the police recorded the death as a homicide, which can be years after it happened. Some years stand out because of single incidents or investigations with many victims, which the ONS lists in its notes to the table. Before 1998 the figures are for calendar years.
- Hospital admissions count stays in NHS hospitals in England and Wales where the cause was assault with a knife or other sharp object. They count admissions, not people, and leave out injuries treated without an admission. The rate uses the ONS's mid-year population for England and Wales. Admissions for the year to March 2026 are provisional and may be incomplete, so the final figure is likely to be higher.
Sources
- Office for National Statistics, Appendix tables: homicide in England and Wales (Table 1)
- Office for National Statistics, Crime in England and Wales: appendix tables (Table B8)
- Office for National Statistics, Population estimates (MYE4)