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  1. South Africa
  2. ›
  3. Security & crime

South Africa: crime, what the police figures say

With water and unemployment, crime dominated the November 2026 local elections. Murders, sexual violence, robberies: the South African police’s monthly counts since 2021, and the recent decline.

Citoyen·Data as of Nov 12, 2026

Scope: South Africa, offences recorded by the South African Police Service, monthly national counts from April 2021 to the latest release, grouped by financial year (April to March).

This dossier is updated at least once a quarter with the new figures. Follow it to get a notification at each update.

Key points

Murders recorded in twelve months23,096Apr. 2025 – Mar. 2026, or 63 a day
Change over a year−9.2%against 25,423 in the previous twelve months
Murders per 100,000 people35.7 per 100,000financial year 2025 – 26
Rapes recorded in twelve months40,599or 111 a day
  • More than sixty murders a day. The police recorded 23,096 murders over the latest twelve months (Apr. 2025 – Mar. 2026), or 63 a day and 35.7 per 100,000 in the 2025 – 26 financial year.
  • A decline after the 2023 peak. The number of murders fell 9.2% over a year, the second fall in a row since the 2023 – 24 peak (27,419); it remains close to the 2021 – 22 level (24,865).
  • An extreme rate. According to the World Bank (UNODC data), South Africa’s homicide rate reaches 43.7 per 100,000 in 2022, about 8 times the world average (5.3 per 100,000).
  • Sexual violence remains massive: 40,599 rapes recorded in twelve months, more than a hundred a day, with no decline comparable to that of murders.
  • Robberies are falling: 165,345 robberies with violence or threat in twelve months, down 10.1% over a year.
How to read these figures

These figures are recorded offences, not actual crime: an offence that is not reported does not appear, and a change in recording practice can move a series. Murders are the most reliable category, because almost all of them are known to the police.

The South African police publish their statistics by quarter, with the detail month by month; Citoyen groups them by financial year from April to March, the reference year of the official reports. The rate per 100,000 people divides the year’s murders by the population of the year it starts (World Bank).

1. Murders

The number of recorded murders rose until the 2023/24 financial year, then fell two years in a row. The rate per 100,000 people follows the same curve.

Murders recorded, each month

Number of murders recorded by SAPS, by month.

Source:South African Police Service

Show the chart data
PeriodMurders
Apr. 20211,956
May 20212,020
Jun. 20211,784
Jul. 20211,869
Aug. 20212,118
Sep. 20212,176
Oct. 20212,262
Nov. 20212,102
Dec. 20212,495
Jan. 20222,070
Feb. 20221,893
Mar. 20222,120
Apr. 20221,986
May 20222,235
Jun. 20222,203
Jul. 20222,528
Aug. 20222,190
Sep. 20222,286
Oct. 20222,543
Nov. 20222,322
Dec. 20222,690
Jan. 20232,214
Feb. 20231,880
Mar. 20232,195
Apr. 20232,234
May 20231,968
Jun. 20232,026
Jul. 20232,315
Aug. 20232,254
Sep. 20232,376
Oct. 20232,495
Nov. 20232,369
Dec. 20232,846
Jan. 20242,045
Feb. 20241,941
Mar. 20242,550
Apr. 20242,044
May 20242,032
Jun. 20242,122
Jul. 20242,083
Aug. 20242,254
Sep. 20242,208
Oct. 20242,101
Nov. 20242,098
Dec. 20242,754
Jan. 20251,869
Feb. 20251,766
Mar. 20252,092
Apr. 20251,890
May 20251,929
Jun. 20251,951
Jul. 20251,845
Aug. 20252,080
Sep. 20251,869
Oct. 20251,926
Nov. 20252,063
Dec. 20252,362
Jan. 20261,744
Feb. 20261,538
Mar. 20261,899

Murders by financial year (April to March)

Complete years only. Latest year: 2025 – 26, 23,096.

Source:South African Police Service

Show the chart data
PeriodMurders
2021 – 2224,865
2022 – 2327,272
2023 – 2427,419
2024 – 2525,423
2025 – 2623,096

Murders per 100,000 people

Murders of the financial year divided by the population (World Bank).

Source:South African Police Service·World Bank

Show the chart data
PeriodPer 100,000 people
2021 – 2240.4 per 100,000
2022 – 2343.7 per 100,000
2023 – 2443.4 per 100,000
2024 – 2539.7 per 100,000
2025 – 2635.7 per 100,000

2. An extreme level in the world

Relative to population, South Africa’s homicide rate is several times the world average, and the gap has not narrowed in twenty years.

Intentional homicides per 100,000 people

World Bank, from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Latest common year: 2022.

  • World
  • South Africa

Source:World Bank (UNODC)

Show the chart data
PeriodSouth AfricaWorld
200046.1 per 100,0006.9 per 100,000
200145.0 per 100,0006.9 per 100,000
200244.9 per 100,0006.9 per 100,000
200340.9 per 100,0006.7 per 100,000
200438.4 per 100,0006.5 per 100,000
200537.4 per 100,0006.3 per 100,000
200638.2 per 100,0006.2 per 100,000
200736.4 per 100,0006.0 per 100,000
200835.4 per 100,0006.0 per 100,000
200932.4 per 100,0006.1 per 100,000
201030.4 per 100,0006.1 per 100,000
201129.3 per 100,0006.2 per 100,000
201230.1 per 100,0006.2 per 100,000
201331.1 per 100,0006.1 per 100,000
201432.0 per 100,0006.1 per 100,000
201532.9 per 100,0005.9 per 100,000
201633.2 per 100,0006.0 per 100,000
201735.3 per 100,0005.9 per 100,000
201835.9 per 100,0005.7 per 100,000
201935.8 per 100,0005.4 per 100,000
202033.0 per 100,0005.3 per 100,000
202140.9 per 100,0005.5 per 100,000
202243.7 per 100,0005.3 per 100,000
2023–5.2 per 100,000

3. Sexual violence

Recorded rapes and sexual assaults remain at a very high level. They are also the most under-reported offences: the police figures are a minimum.

Rapes and sexual assaults by financial year

Recorded offences, complete years.

  • Sexual assaults
  • Rapes

Source:South African Police Service

Show the chart data
PeriodRapesSexual assaults
2021 – 2241,6957,887
2022 – 2343,0377,599
2023 – 2442,6317,478
2024 – 2541,9917,368
2025 – 2640,5997,560

4. Robberies and vehicle theft

Robberies with violence or threat (armed or not) and vehicle thefts have been falling for two years.

Robberies and vehicle thefts by financial year

Robbery with aggravating circumstances and common robbery; theft of motor vehicles. Complete years.

  • Vehicle thefts
  • Robberies

Source:South African Police Service

Show the chart data
PeriodRobberiesVehicle thefts
2021 – 22173,91337,307
2022 – 23193,01937,426
2023 – 24199,36136,708
2024 – 25183,86832,730
2025 – 26165,34529,671

What we know, what we don’t

What the figures establish

  • Recorded murders have been falling since the 2023/24 financial year, after three years of increases.
  • The homicide rate remains several times the world average.
  • Robberies and vehicle thefts are falling too.

What they don’t tell

  • The share of unreported offences, especially sexual violence.
  • The causes of the recent decline: these series do not measure the effect of security policies.
  • The geographical split: this dossier only reads the national total.

Stay up to date

This dossier is updated at least once a quarter with the new figures. Follow it to get a notification at each update.

Sources

Series downloaded from their producers on Nov 12, 2026, the snapshot date. Only published periods are used: no projection.

  • South African Police Service Crime statistics (quarterly releases)
  • World Bank Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL)
  • World Bank (UNODC) Intentional homicides per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5)