Topic
Crime
Murders, contact crimes and robbery with aggravating circumstances reported to the police, by financial year.
Murders reported to the police
26 232 cases
2023/24. Down from 27 494 in 2022/23.
Total murder cases reported nationally for the 2023/24 financial year (April 2023 – March 2024). This is the first decline in four years, equating to approximately 72 murders per day. The rate is 41.9 per 100,000 population.
Source: South African Police Service, Crime Statistics 2023/24. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
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| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 20 336 |
| 2018/19 | 21 022 |
| 2019/20 | 21 325 |
| 2020/21 | 23 961 |
| 2021/22 | 26 873 |
| 2022/23 | 27 494 |
| 2023/24 | 26 232 |
Contact crimes reported to the police
561 947 cases2023/24. Down from 585 561 in 2022/23.
Contact crimes include assault GBH, common assault, robbery with aggravating circumstances, common robbery, sexual offences, and murder. Total contact crimes declined for the 2023/24 reporting period.
Source: South African Police Service, Crime Statistics 2023/24. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 531 804 |
| 2020/21 | 411 568 |
| 2021/22 | 562 874 |
| 2022/23 | 585 561 |
| 2023/24 | 561 947 |
Robbery with aggravating circumstances
162 618 cases2023/24. Down from 167 861 in 2022/23.
Robberies involving a weapon, violence, or the threat of violence for the 2023/24 financial year. This category includes carjacking, truck hijacking, house robbery, and bank robbery.
Source: South African Police Service, Crime Statistics 2023/24. Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 164 389 |
| 2020/21 | 115 655 |
| 2021/22 | 160 007 |
| 2022/23 | 167 861 |
| 2023/24 | 162 618 |
Murders reported to the police, January to March
5 181 casesJan-Mar 2026. Down from 5 727 in Jan-Mar 2025.
Murder cases reported to SAPS in January to March 2026, the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, compared with the same three months in earlier years. This is one quarter, not a full year, so it cannot be compared with the annual totals.
Source: South African Police Service, Crime statistics, fourth quarter 2025/26 (January to March 2026), sheet "Crime stats per component". Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan-Mar 2022 | 6 083 |
| Jan-Mar 2023 | 6 289 |
| Jan-Mar 2024 | 6 536 |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | 5 727 |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | 5 181 |
Contact crimes reported to the police, January to March
154 267 casesJan-Mar 2026. Down from 161 672 in Jan-Mar 2025.
Contact crimes (crimes against the person) reported to SAPS in January to March 2026, the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. SAPS counts murder, sexual offences, attempted murder, assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, common assault, common robbery and robbery with aggravating circumstances. One quarter, not a full year.
Source: South African Police Service, Crime statistics, fourth quarter 2025/26 (January to March 2026), sheet "Crime stats per component". Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan-Mar 2022 | 157 907 |
| Jan-Mar 2023 | 164 206 |
| Jan-Mar 2024 | 171 707 |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | 161 672 |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | 154 267 |
Robbery with aggravating circumstances, January to March
26 796 casesJan-Mar 2026. Down from 31 749 in Jan-Mar 2025.
Robbery with aggravating circumstances reported to SAPS in January to March 2026, the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year. One quarter, not a full year.
Source: South African Police Service, Crime statistics, fourth quarter 2025/26 (January to March 2026), sheet "Crime stats per component". Source released . Checked on SA Data Hub .
Show the numbers as a table
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| Jan-Mar 2022 | 32 783 |
| Jan-Mar 2023 | 34 460 |
| Jan-Mar 2024 | 35 426 |
| Jan-Mar 2025 | 31 749 |
| Jan-Mar 2026 | 26 796 |
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Crime Statistics: Up to date
SAPS, Crime Statistics Report. Updated annual. Last updated . Source (opens in a new tab)
- : Published the January to March 2022 to 2026 series from the SAPS fourth-quarter 2025/26 statistics, released on 22 May 2026 (SAPS, POLICE magazine special edition, May 2026, pages 4 and 7). Murder, contact crime and robbery with aggravating circumstances are shown as a separate quarterly series. The annual 2023/24 figures are unchanged.
- : Checked the SAPS fourth-quarter 2025/26 workbook (January to March 2026, compared with January to March 2022 to 2025). It covers one quarter, not a full financial year, so the annual 2023/24 figures are unchanged (murder 26 232, contact crime 561 947, robbery with aggravating circumstances 162 618). The quarterly figures (January to March 2026: murder 5 181, down from 5 727; contact crime 154 267, down from 161 672; robbery with aggravating circumstances 26 796, down from 31 749) will be shown once the SAPS release date is confirmed; the workbook does not state one. It has no notes on definition or category changes.
- : Annual SAPS crime series refreshed with the latest published reporting cycle.