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National statistics about victims of a range of personal, household and family and domestic violence offences as recorded by police.
Australia’s federal, state and territory governments put restrictions in place to slow the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) from March 2020. These measures, as well as other COVID-19 related changes, have impacted the level of crime recorded by state and territory police in 2020 and 2021. This should be considered when interpreting the Recorded Crime – Victims data. There were 370 victims of homicide and related offences – which includes murder, attempted murder and manslaughter – recorded in Australia in 2021. This was a decrease of 7% (26 victims) from the previous year. The victimisation rate also decreased to 1.4 victims per 100,000 persons, the lowest rate recorded for this offence since the time series began in 1993. In 2021, most homicide and related offences:
For victims of homicide and related offences:
More than a quarter (28%) of incidents were family and domestic violence (FDV) related (105 victims). In 2021, police recorded 31,118 victims of sexual assault in Australia. This was an increase of 13% (3,580 victims) from 2020. Since 1993, the rate of victimisation for sexual assault has increased from 69 to 121 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021. This is the highest rate of victimisation for sexual assault recorded by police across the twenty-nine year time series.
The number of recorded victims of sexual assault increased in all states and territories except the Northern Territory, with the largest increases in:
The number of recorded victims of sexual assault in the Northern Territory decreased by 4% or 15 victims. For victims of sexual assault:
Most sexual assaults:
Over a third (37%) of sexual assault incidents were FDV related (11,367 victims). There were 9,140 victims of robbery recorded in Australia in 2021, a decrease from the previous year of 3% (269 victims). While there was an overall decrease in robbery nationally, victims of robbery increased in all jurisdictions, except New South Wales and Victoria. The number of victims of robbery decreased in:
The largest increases in the number of victims of robbery were recorded in:
The overall decrease was driven by armed robbery (down 354 victims or 8%). There was a slight increase in unarmed robbery (up 80 victims or 2%). For victims of robbery:
Of all robberies:
In 2021, police recorded 646 victims of blackmail/extortion. This was a 24% increase (124 victims) from 2020 and is the highest recorded number of victims for this offence in the time series since 2009. For victims of blackmail/extortion:
The overall increase in blackmail/extortion victims in 2021 was largely driven by an increase in male victims, up 39% (130 victims) from the previous year. The number of victims of unlawful entry with intent increased by 4% in 2021 to 139,094 victims. This increase follows the lowest number of victims recorded in the time series (133,871 victims) in 2020, coinciding with the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. The largest increases of victims of unlawful entry with intent occurred in:
In some jurisdictions, the number of victims of unlawful entry with intent decreased. The largest decrease occurred in Victoria (down 1,570 victims or 5%). Most unlawful entry with intent:
There were 49,742 victims of motor vehicle theft in 2021, an increase of 3% from the previous year (up 1,647 victims). The number of victims of motor vehicle theft increased in most states and territories, with the largest increases in:
The number of victims of motor vehicle theft decreased in:
The most common locations for motor vehicle theft were:
In 2021, the number of other thefts increased by 1% to 442,465 victims, up 5,838 victims from 2020. Other theft includes offences such as theft from a person and theft from retail premises. The number of victims of other theft increased in most states and territories, with the largest increases in:
The number of victims of other theft decreased in:
The most common locations for other theft were:
There were 81 victims of homicide and related offences in New South Wales in 2021, a decrease of 18 victims from the previous year. For victims of homicide and related offences:
The number of victims of assault recorded in New South Wales remained relatively stable, decreasing by less than 1% (218 victims) from 2020 to 64,689 victims in 2021. The victimisation rate also declined, from 795 to 790 victims per 100,000 persons. This was the lowest victimisation rate for victims of assault recorded in New South Wales since 1997. Most assaults:
For victims of assault:
There were 11,546 victims of sexual assault in 2021, up 2% (270 victims) from the previous year. This was the highest number of victims recorded for this offence in New South Wales across the twenty-nine year time series. The victimisation rate also increased from the previous year to the highest recorded in 2021, from 138 to 141 victims per 100,000 persons. Most sexual assaults in 2021:
Most victims of sexual assault:
Around two in five (41%) sexual assault incidents were FDV related (4,711 victims). The number of victims of robbery decreased to the lowest number recorded in the twenty-nine year time series, down 18% (451 victims) from 2020 to 2,031 victims in 2021. For victims of robbery:
The number of victims of unlawful entry with intent increased by 8% (2,116 victims) from the previous year to 28,200 victims in 2021. Almost three-quarters of these offences occurred at a residential location (73% or 20,500 victims). There were 9,917 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in New South Wales in 2021, an increase of 5% (482 victims) from the previous year. This increase follows the lowest number of motor vehicle thefts recorded in the time series in 2020 (9,435 victims), coinciding with the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. An outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport or garage) was the most common location from which a motor vehicle was stolen (55% or 5,434 victims). The number of victims of other theft decreased by 5% (4,523 victims) from the previous year to 94,722 victims in 2021. Other theft offences occurred most commonly at a retail location (35% or 33,250 victims). There were 84 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in Victoria in 2021, a decrease of 14 victims from the previous year. For victims of homicide and related offences:
Most homicide and related offences (66%) occurred at a residential location (55 victims). The number of victims of sexual assault recorded in Victoria increased by 12% (651 victims) from the previous year to 6,164 victims in 2021. This was the first annual increase in the recorded number of victims of sexual assault since 2017 and the highest number recorded in the twenty-nine year time series. The victimisation rate also increased from 82 victims in 2020 to 93 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021 but remained lower than the highest recorded rate in 2017 (95 victims per 100,000 persons). Between 2020 and 2021, the number of victims who reported the incident to police:
Most sexual assaults:
Most victims of sexual assault:
For sexual assault:
There were 2,381 victims of robbery recorded in Victoria in 2021, a decrease of 13% (339 victims) from the previous year. More than half of robberies:
Most victims of robbery were person victims (96% or 2,288 victims) and 4% were organisations (93 victims). For person victims of robbery:
The number of victims of unlawful entry with intent recorded in Victoria decreased by 5% (1,570 victims) from the previous year to 29,716 victims in 2021. This was the lowest recorded number of victims in the twenty-nine year time series. Around two-thirds of unlawful entry with intent:
There were 12,132 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in Victoria in 2021, a decrease of 10% (1,280 victims) from the previous year. An outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport or garage) was the most common location from which a motor vehicle was stolen (49% or 5,989 victims). The number of victims of other theft decreased by 6% (6,660 victims) from the previous year to 106,776 victims in 2021. The most common locations for other theft were:
In 2021, there were 82 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in Queensland, a decrease of 13 victims from the previous year. For victims of homicide and related offences:
There were 6,891 victims of sexual assault recorded in Queensland in 2021, an increase of 35% (1,771 victims) from the previous year. The victimisation rate also increased from 99 to 132 victims per 100,000 persons. For victims of sexual assault:
Most sexual assaults:
About a third of sexual assaults (31%) were family and domestic violence (FDV) related (2,156 victims). In 2021, police recorded 2,483 victims of robbery in Queensland. This was an increase of 12% (264 victims) from the previous year. For victims of robbery:
For person victims of robbery:
Unlawful entry with intent increased by 4% in 2021, up by 1,550 victims to 38,909 victims. Most unlawful entry with intent:
The number of victims of motor vehicle theft increased by 6% (752 victims) in 2021, to 14,510 victims. Most motor vehicle thefts occurred at an outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport, or garage) (63% or 9,150 victims). Nearly a fifth (19%) occurred on a street or footpath (2,748 victims). There were 112,379 victims of other theft recorded in Queensland in 2021. This was an increase of 5% (5,245 victims) from 2020. Half (50%) of other thefts occurred at a retail location (56,353 victims). Just under a quarter (24%) of other thefts occurred at a residential location (27,269 victims). There were 35 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in South Australia in 2021, an increase of 7 victims from the previous year. For victims of homicide and related offences:
There were 18,174 victims of assault recorded in South Australia in 2021, an increase of 6% (948 victims) from the previous year. The victimisation rate also increased from 973 in 2020 to 1,025 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021. Most assault victims:
Most assaults:
More than a quarter (26%) of victims were aged between 25 and 34 years at the date of report (4,693 victims). Nearly half (48%) of assault incidents were FDV related (8,788 victims). Of these, around three-quarters (74%) of victims were female (6,469 victims). There were 1,783 victims of sexual assault recorded in South Australia in 2021, an increase of 10% (158 victims) from 2020. The victimisation rate also increased from 2020, up from 92 to 101 victims per 100,000 persons. This was the highest victimisation rate since 2007 (107 victims per 100,000). Most sexual assault victims:
Most sexual assaults:
Nearly half (49%) of all sexual assault victims were aged under 18 years at the date of incident (875 victims). Nearly two-fifths (39%) of sexual assault incidents were FDV related (689 victims). Of these, the majority of FDV related sexual assault victims were female (92% or 633 victims). There were 530 victims of robbery recorded in South Australia in 2021, a 16% (73 victims) increase from the previous year. More than half of robberies:
Most robbery victims (89% or 470 victims) were persons, of whom most were male (76% or 355 victims). The remaining 11% of robbery victims were organisations. The most common age group at date of report was between 25 and 34 years (25% or 119 victims). The number of victims of blackmail and extortion nearly doubled in South Australia from the previous year, increasing from 57 to 109 victims. This was the highest recorded number in the twenty-nine year time series. Most victims (95% or 104 victims) were persons, of whom most:
The remaining 5% of robbery victims were organisations. There were 10,717 victims of unlawful entry with intent in South Australia in 2021, an increase of 4% (383 victims) from 2020. Most unlawful entry with intent:
There were 3,412 victims of motor vehicle theft in 2021, a decrease of 3% (116 victims) from the previous year. Half (50%) of motor vehicles were stolen from an outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport, or garage) (1,688 victims). The number of victims of other theft recorded in South Australia increased by 7% (2,704 victims) from 2020, to 41,905 victims in 2021. Nearly half (46%) of other thefts occurred at a retail location (19,104 victims). There were 48 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in Western Australia in 2021, a decrease of 11 victims from the previous year. For victims of homicide and related offences:
Almost half of the homicides:
The number of victims of assault in Western Australia increased by 6% (1,986 victims) from the previous year to 36,177 victims in 2021. The victimisation rate also increased from 1,283 in 2020 to 1,349 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021, the highest recorded across the twenty-seven year time series. Most assaults:
For victims of assault:
In 2021, the number of victims of sexual assault increased by 17% (516 victims) to 3,564 victims, the highest recorded in the twenty-nine year time series. The victimisation rate also increased to the highest in the time series from 114 in 2020 to 133 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of victims who reported the incident to police:
A greater proportion of male victims (25% or 94 victims) reported the incident after one year than female victims (19% or 591 victims). Most sexual assaults:
Over a quarter (26%) of all sexual assault incidents were FDV related (909 victims). For victims of sexual assault:
There were 1,191 victims of robbery in 2021, an increase of 6% (65 victims) from the previous year. Most victims of robbery were person victims (92% or 1,090 victims), the remaining 101 victims were organisations. For person victims of robbery:
Almost half of all robberies:
The number of victims of unlawful entry with intent in Western Australia increased by 10% (2,043 victims) from the previous year to 22,408 victims in 2021. Most unlawful entry with intent:
There were 6,577 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in 2021, an increase of 23% (1,239 victims) from 2020. This increase follows the lowest number of recorded victims for this offence in 2020 (5,338 victims), coinciding with the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. Just over three-fifths (61%) of stolen motor vehicles were taken from an outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport or garage) (4,008 victims). The number of victims of other theft recorded in 2021 increased by 11% (6,599 victims) from the previous year to 65,857 victims. This increase follows the lowest number of recorded victims for this offence in 2020 (59,258 victims), coinciding with the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. Other theft offences occurred most commonly at a retail location (40% or 25,999 victims). There were 9 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in Tasmania in 2021 and all the incidents involved the use of a weapon. The number of victims of assault increased 4% (140 victims) from the previous year to 3,559 victims in 2021. The victimisation rate increased for the fifth consecutive year, from 633 victims per 100,000 persons in 2020 to 658 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021. For victims of assault:
Most assaults:
More than two-fifths (45%) of assaults were family and domestic violence (FDV) related (1,616 victims). There were 470 victims of sexual assault recorded in Tasmania in 2021, an increase of 53% (163 victims) from 2020. This was the highest recorded number in the twenty-nine year time series. The victimisation rate increased from 57 to 87 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021 from the previous year, also to the highest rate in the time series. Most sexual assaults:
Most victims of sexual assault:
Around two in five (39%) sexual assaults recorded in 2021 were FDV related (181 victims). A greater proportion of female victims (64%) reported the incident to police within a year compared with male victims (48%). There were 125 victims of robbery in Tasmania in 2021, an increase of 28 victims from the previous year. Most robberies:
For person victims of robbery:
Over a third (34%) of all robberies occurred on a street or footpath (42 victims). The number of victims of unlawful entry with intent decreased by 8% (215 victims) from 2020 to 2,496 victims in 2021. This was the lowest number of victims recorded across the twenty-nine year time series. Most unlawful entry with intent:
There were 1,207 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in Tasmania in 2021, an increase of 22% (221 victims) from 2020. This increase follows the lowest number of recorded victims for this offence in 2020 (986 victims), coinciding with the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. Over half (53% or 643 victims) of all motor vehicles were stolen from an outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport, or garage). In Tasmania, there were 6,599 victims of other theft in 2021, an increase of 9% (532 victims) from 2020. Half of other theft offences occurred at a retail location (3,275 victims). In 2021, there were 13 victims of homicide and related offences recorded in the Northern Territory. Most of these were attempted murders (62% or 8 victims). The majority (77%) of victims were male (10 victims). For homicide and related offences:
There were 9,054 victims of assault recorded in the Northern Territory in 2021, a 10% (854 victims) increase from 2020. The victimisation rate for assault was 3,682 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021, the highest in the twenty-seven year time series. Most victims of assault:
For assaults:
The number of recorded victims of sexual assault decreased in the Northern Territory by 4% (15 victims) to 355 victims in 2021. The victimisation rate for sexual assault also decreased from 150 to 144 victims per 100,000 persons. For victims of sexual assault:
For sexual assaults:
There were 223 victims of robbery recorded in the Northern Territory in 2021, an increase of 31% (53 victims) from the previous year. For victims of robbery:
For robberies, the majority:
The number of victims of unlawful entry with intent increased by 27% (996 victims) from the previous year to 4,745 victims in 2021. This increase returns the number of victims to similar levels recorded in 2019 (4,652 victims) prior to the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. Most incidents of unlawful entry with intent did not involve the taking of property (57% or 2,719 victims). There were 708 victims of motor vehicle theft recorded in 2021, an increase of 38% (195 victims) from the previous year. This increase returns the number of victims to similar levels recorded in 2019 (700 victims) prior to the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. The most common location for motor vehicle theft was an outbuilding or residential land (including a driveway, carport, or garage) (33% or 232 victims). In 2021, police recorded 6,503 victims of other theft in the Northern Territory. This was an increase of 23% (1,214 victims) from 2020. This increase returns the number of victims to similar levels recorded in 2019 (6,285 victims) prior to the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. There were 12 victims of homicide and related offences in the Australian Capital Territory in 2021. The number of victims of assault increased from the previous year, up 5% (99 victims) to 2,314 victims in 2021. The victimisation rate also increased, from 514 to 536 victims per 100,000 persons. For victims of assault:
Most assaults (88% or 2,038 victims) did not involve the use of a weapon. The number of victims of sexual assault in the Australian Capital Territory increased by 18% (52 victims) from 2020 to 341 victims in 2021. This was the highest number of victims recorded for this offence in the Australian Capital Territory across the twenty-nine year time series. The victimisation rate also increased from 67 to 79 victims per 100,000 persons in 2021. This was the second-highest victimisation rate, with the highest rate recorded at 81 victims per 100,000 persons in 2007. Most sexual assaults recorded in 2021:
For victims of sexual assault:
Just under a quarter (24%) reported the incident to police a year or more after it occurred (81 victims). There were 171 victims of robbery in the Australian Capital Territory in 2021, an increase of 19 victims from the previous year. Over half (53%) were armed robberies (90 victims), most commonly involving a knife (52 victims). For victims of robbery:
The number of victims of unlawful entry with intent decreased by 3% (64 victims) from the previous year to 1,911 victims in 2021. This was the lowest recorded number in the Australian Capital Territory in the twenty-nine year time series. Over half (57%) occurred at a residential location (1,081 victims). The number of victims of motor vehicle theft in the Australian Capital Territory increased by 14% (154 victims) from 2020 to 1,276 in 2021. Over half (56%) were stolen from a community location (719 victims). There were 7,733 victims of other theft in 2021, an increase of 11% (741 victims) from the previous year. This increase follows the lowest recorded number for this offence in 2020 (6,992 victims), coinciding with the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. Just over two-fifths (42%) of other theft offences occurred at a community location (3,246 victims). Data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of crime is presented for New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Based on an ABS assessment, Indigenous status data for other states and territories is not of sufficient quality and/or does not meet ABS standards for national reporting in 2021. The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of assault recorded in 2021 were:
Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of assault:
More than a quarter of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of assault were aged between 25 and 34 years at the date of report (25–33%). The most common location for assault was:
The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of sexual assault recorded in 2021 were:
Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of sexual assault:
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of sexual assault:
There were 105 victims of family and domestic violence (FDV) related homicide nationally in 2021, a decrease of 28% (40 victims) from the previous year. This was the lowest recorded number in the eight-year time series. More than a quarter (28%) of all homicides were FDV related. Murder accounted for 62% (65 victims) of FDV related homicides in 2021. Most FDV related homicides:
The majority of FDV related homicide victims were female (58% or 61 victims). The most common age for female victims was between 18 and 34 years (41% or 25 victims), while for male victims it was between 35 and 54 years (27% or 12 victims). Assault data is not published for Victoria or Queensland. As a result, FDV related assault data is not available for these states or at the national level. Data is presented for selected states and territories only. At least two in five assaults recorded by selected state and territory police were FDV related, ranging from 42% in the Australian Capital Territory to 63% in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
FDV related assault victims increased in all states and territories in 2021 compared with 2020, ranging from 1% in Tasmania and South Australia to 12% in the Northern Territory. Across the selected states and territories, victims of FDV related assault were most commonly:
FDV related assaults most commonly:
There were 11,367 victims of FDV related sexual assault recorded nationally in 2021, an increase of 12% (1,192 victims) from the previous year. The victimisation rate also increased from 40 to 44 victims per 100,000 persons. Since 2020:
Around two-fifths (37%) of all sexual assaults recorded in 2021 were FDV related. Most victims of FDV related sexual assault:
Male victims were most commonly aged under 9 years at the date of incident (57%), while female victims were most commonly aged between 10 and 17 years (37%). Most FDV related sexual assaults:
The offender was most commonly recorded as:
There were 153 FDV related victims of kidnapping/abduction in Australia in 2021, an increase of 35% (40 victims) from 2020. Just over a third (34%) of all kidnappings/abductions recorded in 2021 were FDV related. Most victims of FDV related kidnapping/abduction were female (84% or 129 victims). Most FDV related kidnappings/abductions:
National data for selected offences by sex, age at report, location, use of weapon, outcome of investigation and time to report. Age at incident data is included for sexual assault. Download xlsx [179.57 KB] State/territory data for selected offences by sex, age at report, location, use of weapon and outcome of investigation. Time to report and age at incident data is included for sexual assault. Download xlsx [202.95 KB] Data by relationship of offender to victim for selected states/territories and offences by sex and age at report. Time to report data is included for sexual assault. Download xlsx [295.51 KB] Data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims for selected states/territories and offences by sex, age at report, location and relationship of offender to victim. Time to report and age at incident data is included for sexual assault. National and state/territory data for victims of family and domestic violence related offences by sex, age at report, location, use of weapon and relationship of offender to victim. Time to report and age at incident data is included for sexual assault. Includes available data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of family and domestic violence related offences. Download xlsx [144.58 KB] |