Canada’s crime severity index fell 5% in 2025, Statistics Canada says

Statistics Canada says crime rates and crime severity declined across most of Canada in 2025, marking a second straight annual drop in the country’s crime severity index. The agency said the index fell 5% from the previous year, with decreases reported in every province and territory except New Brunswick and Nunavut, as well as in most major cities. The overall crime rate also edged down 2% last year. StatsCan said the decline was mainly driven by fewer breakandenter cases and a lower homicide rate, which reached its lowest point since 2014. Motor vehicle theft also fell for a second year in a row, while fraud and extortion remained elevated compared with a decade ago. Not all trends moved downward. Shoplifting rose for the fifth consecutive year, and hate crimes declined only slightly after several years of growth. StatsCan also noted that child sexual abuse and exploitation material cases fell, though it warned that such offences are often undercounted in official data.