Core indicator
Homicides
16–24-year-old homicide victims (England and Wales)
Last updated March 2023
(March 2023)
Last reviewed: July 2024
How are we measuring homicides?
We’re using the Home Office’s Homicide Index published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to measure how many 16–24-year-olds are victims of homicide each year. Homicides are generally seen as one of the more accurate measures of violence as nearly all homicides are reported and recorded accurately. However, these figures can be volatile due to the low numbers involved. Some events, such as acts of terrorism, can also have a disproportionate impact on the figures for the years in which they’re recorded.
What does our core indicator show?
Overall, this measure shows a mixed picture. Homicides of 16-24-year-olds started to rise in 2016/17. 2017/18 and 2019/20 showed particular spikes, perhaps related to mass casualty events such as the Manchester Arena bombing. Since then, numbers appear to be coming down. In 2022/23 – the latest year we have data – 99 young people aged 16-24 were victims of homicide. This is down 19% from the year before (2021/22) and down 30% compared to the year before Covid-19 (2019/20). But it remains 14% above where it was ten years ago (2012/13).