Murder statistics
The national figures people commonly look for as murder statistics, including a 24-year trend and detailed evidence about victims, methods and relationships. The official series is broader than murder alone.
What the official murder figures include
The national statistical series is published under the broader term homicide. It combines murder, manslaughter and infanticide, so the headline total must not be read as murder convictions alone.
The national homicide trend
The police recorded 499 homicide offences in year ending march 2026, the lowest count since the current recording-practice series began. Single incidents involving multiple victims can create visible breaks in the series.
Why the 2003 bar is unusually high It includes 173 victims attributed to Harold Shipman. Other multi-victim incidents also affect individual years.
Open the latest official bulletin ↗Opens in a new tabWho, how and where
The detailed profile comes from the Home Office Homicide Index. It is one year behind the headline count because investigations, court outcomes and record checks take longer to complete.
Victims by sex
522 victims · 508 separate incidents- Male
- 36670%
- Female
- 15530%
- Unknown
- 11 recorded case
Selected methods recorded
Four published groups · Not a complete listEthnicity in the Homicide Index
The official tables call this ethnic appearance. It is identified by the investigating police officer, not necessarily self-reported by the victim or suspect.
Victims by recorded ethnic group
Year ending March 2025 · 522 victimsAverage victimisation rate
Years ending March 2023 to March 2025 combinedConvicted principal suspects
Years ending March 2023 to March 2025 combined · 956 convicted principal suspectsThese are different measures. The annual chart counts victims, the rate chart uses three years of victims and population estimates, and the final chart covers only principal suspects convicted of homicide over three combined years.
These figures do not show that ethnicity causes homicide or predict risk for an individual. Age, region and socioeconomic circumstances differ between populations and are not controlled for in these headline comparisons. Census population ethnicity is self-identified, while Homicide Index ethnicity is recorded by police.
Open Homicide Index tables 6, 7, 32 and 33 ↗Opens in a new tabRelationship to the principal suspect
Adult female victims
Adult male victims
Domestic homicides
Partner, ex-partner and family relationships are included in the official domestic-homicide definition.
Patterns differ substantially between adult female and adult male victims. These percentages describe recorded relationships, not risk for an individual person.
Where homicides were recorded
Residential setting
56.3% of victimsStreet, path or alleyway
24.3% of victimsTwo major location groups from the detailed release are shown above.
Why there is no murder map or city ranking
No murder markers
An approximate street-level point cannot honestly be relabelled as a murder.
No city murder league table
Ranking cities from the broad map category would manufacture a comparison the source cannot support.
England and Wales homicide evidence
The official recorded-crime series and Homicide Index are the appropriate sources used here.
The street-level database does not publish murder as a standalone category. Its broad “Violence and sexual offences” group cannot identify which markers are homicide, murder, manslaughter or another offence.
See how sources are kept separateMurder statistics questions
Short answers to the distinctions that matter before quoting the figures.
Is homicide the same as murder?
No. Homicide is the broader statistical measure used in the national releases. It includes murder and other offences resulting in death, so the headline total must not be presented as a count of murder convictions.
What is the latest national figure?
Police recorded 499 homicides in England and Wales in the year ending March 2026. That is 7% fewer than the previous year. The figure can be revised as investigations and court proceedings progress.
Why does the detailed victim profile use an earlier year?
The latest recorded-crime headline and the detailed Homicide Index tables are released on different schedules. The page labels each reference period and does not combine them as if they describe the same cases.
Can the street-level map identify murders?
No. The map publishes the broad “Violence and sexual offences” group. It cannot distinguish murder, manslaughter or another offence, so CrimeRate does not create murder markers or city murder rankings.
Where is murder defined in law?
The murder law guide explains the legal definition, prosecution elements and mandatory life sentence. The crime statistics glossary explains why the legal offence and statistical series are kept separate.
Official releases and definitions
Each source opens in a new browser tab. The publication period is shown before you leave CrimeRate.
Figures checked 2026-10-17. Homicide statistics are subject to revision as police investigations and court proceedings progress.