Core indicator
Knife crime
Hospital admissions for knife assault (0-17-year-olds)
Last updated March 2024
(March 2024)
Last reviewed: January 2025
How are we measuring knife crime?
We’re using the number of 0–17-year-olds admitted to hospital per year, where the cause for admission was assault with a sharp object, as our core knife crime indicator. Hospital admissions data is seen as a more reliable guide to trends in knife violence than police or justice figures, as the data is less susceptible to changes in recording, reporting or sentencing practices over time. The latest (2023/24) data was published in September 2024.
What does our core indicator show?
Overall, this measure shows a mixed picture. Knife-related hospital admissions rose significantly from the mid-2010s, but had been falling again since before the pandemic, until this latest year. In 2023/24, 509 children aged 0-17 were admitted to hospital for knife assault. This is up 9% on the year before (2022/23) and up 58% from where it was ten years ago (2013/14), but remains 8% down compared to pre-Covid levels.