Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) declined by 4 per cent in 2024, marking the first decrease in three years. The index is now 34 per cent lower than its peak in 1998.
Breaking dropped 11 percent to 293 incidents per 100,000 population, while motor vehicle theft fell 17 percent, reversing a three-year upward trend, particularly in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.
Shoplifting, however, continued to rise. Police recorded 182,361 incidents of shoplifting of $5,000, a 14 percent increase from 2023 and a 66 percent rise over the past decade. Theft under $5,000 fell by 9 percent.
Violent crime saw a smaller decline. The Violent CSI edged down by 1 per cent, with reductions in level 1 sexual assault (-3 per cent), aggravated assault (-8 per cent), robbery (-2 per cent) and attempted murder (-12 per cent). The offences accounted for the bulk of the decrease in violent crime. Overall, the police-reported crime rate, excluding traffic offences, decreased by 4 percent to 5,672 incidents per 100,000 population.
Cybercrime decreased by 9 per cent but remains more than twice the rate recorded in 2018. Child pornography offences, mostly cyber-related, fell by 15 per cent after a large increase in 2023. Extortion, another crime often linked to online activity, dropped 10 per cent, while fraud remained stable at 436 incidents per 100,000 population.
Hate crimes increased for the sixth consecutive year, rising by 1 per cent to 4,882 incidents. Crimes targeting race or ethnicity rose 8 per cent, while those based on sexual orientation fell 26 per cent. Hate crimes linked to religion were essentially unchanged.
The national homicide rate declined for the second straight year, down 4 per cent to 1.91 homicides per 100,000 population. Police reported 788 homicides, eight fewer than in 2023. There were 28 more female victims, and women were significantly more likely than men to be killed by a spouse or intimate partner. Indigenous people continue to face disproportionate levels of violence, with a homicide rate of 10.84 per 100,000, eight times that of non-Indigenous Canadians.