Is crime going up or down?
The Crime Survey estimates that adults and children in England and Wales experienced 4.33 million crimes (excluding fraud) in the year to March 2026, against 12.77 million in 2001-02. The police recorded 5,235,213 crimes in the year to March 2026.
Million crimes, year to March 2026. Lowest in the series: 4.33 (2025-26).
Crimes excluding fraud, 2025-26. up 13% on 2020-21.
Million incidents on the Crime Survey, 2025-26.
Crime over time
What’s this?
The number of crimes people say they experienced, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, leaving out fraud and computer misuse so it can be compared back to 1981.
What it cannot tell you: It counts crimes people remember and report to interviewers, so it misses crimes against children under 10, people not living in households and crimes with no clear victim. There was no survey for the years ending March 2021 and 2022 because of the pandemic, so those years are blank.
What’s this?
The number of crimes the police in England and Wales recorded in the year (not including fraud, which is recorded separately).
What it cannot tell you: It counts crimes that people report to the police and the police record, so it rises when people report more or the police record more carefully, not only when there is more crime.
What’s this?
The number of crimes people say they experienced, from a survey of about 35,000 adults and children in England and Wales, including fraud and computer misuse.
What it cannot tell you: It counts crimes people remember and report to interviewers, so it misses crimes against children under 10, people not living in households and crimes with no clear victim. There was no survey for the years ending March 2021 and 2022 because of the pandemic, so those years are blank.
What’s this?
The number of fraud and computer misuse offences people say they experienced, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales.
What it cannot tell you: Fraud was added to the survey only recently and many frauds go unnoticed or unreported, so the figure is an estimate with wide margins.
Year by year
Years run April to March. There was no Crime Survey fieldwork for two years because of the pandemic.
| Period | Crime reported to the Crime Survey, excluding fraud | Crimes recorded by the police, excluding fraud |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 4.33 | 5,235,213 |
| 2024-25 | 4.59 | 5,307,433 |
| 2023-24 | 4.59 | 5,402,860 |
| 2022-23 | 4.38 | 5,578,041 |
| 2019-20 | 5.66 | 5,304,892 |
| 2018-19 | 6.43 | 5,266,025 |
| 2017-18 | 6.25 | 4,890,313 |
| 2016-17 | 6.06 | 4,321,587 |
| 2015-16 | 6.53 | 3,898,526 |
| 2014-15 | 7.18 | 3,574,552 |
| 2013-14 | 7.55 | 3,506,545 |
| 2012-13 | 8.76 | 3,553,168 |
Questions people ask
What is the crime rate in England and Wales?
The Crime Survey measured 4.33 million crimes (excluding fraud) in 2025-26. The police recorded 5,235,213. The survey is better for trends because it does not depend on what is reported and recorded.
Why do the survey and police figures differ?
The Crime Survey asks about 35,000 people what happened to them, including crimes they did not report. Police figures count what is reported to the police and recorded, and they are affected by recording practice and by how willing people are to report.
Does this cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. These are figures for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own crime statistics.
What does “crime reported to the crime survey, excluding fraud” measure?
The number of crimes people say they experienced, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, leaving out fraud and computer misuse so it can be compared back to 1981. It was 4.33 (million crimes a year) in 2025-26, down 1% on 2022-23. The highest we have is 12.77 (2001-02) and the lowest 4.33 (2025-26).
What does “crimes recorded by the police, excluding fraud” measure?
The number of crimes the police in England and Wales recorded in the year (not including fraud, which is recorded separately). It was 5,235,213 (crimes recorded in the year) in 2025-26, up 13% on 2020-21. The highest we have is 5,843,549 (2003-04) and the lowest 3,506,545 (2013-14).
What does “crime reported to the crime survey, including fraud” measure?
The number of crimes people say they experienced, from a survey of about 35,000 adults and children in England and Wales, including fraud and computer misuse. It was 9.62 (million crimes a year) in 2025-26, up 11% on 2022-23. The highest we have is 11.22 (2016-17) and the lowest 8.66 (2022-23).
What does “fraud and computer misuse reported to the crime survey” measure?
The number of fraud and computer misuse offences people say they experienced, from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. It was 5.28 (million crimes a year) in 2025-26, up 24% on 2022-23. The highest we have is 5.28 (2025-26) and the lowest 4.20 (2023-24).
Sources: ONS, Crime in England and Wales (Crime Survey for England and Wales); Home Office, police recorded crime (published by the ONS). Updated every night. Each chart has a CSV and a Share button.
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