Table 1
Police-reported crime for selected offences, Canada, 2020
| 2020 | 2020 | 2019 to 2020 | 2010 to 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | rate | % change | % change | |
| Total Criminal Code (excluding traffic) - "Crime rate" | 2,014,779 | 5,301 | -10 | -14 |
| Total violent crime | 476,649 | 1,254 | -2 | -3 |
| Homicide | 743 | 1.95 | 7 | 20 |
| Other violations causing death | 118 | 0s | -1 | 6 |
| Attempted murder | 864 | 2.27 | -2 | 16 |
| Sexual assault - level 3 - aggravated | 136 | 0s | 8 | -32 |
| Sexual assault - level 2 - weapon or bodily harm | 608 | 2 | 12 | 35 |
| Sexual assault - level 1 | 27,895 | 73 | -9 | 15 |
| Sexual offence occurring prior to January 4, 19831 | 448 | 1 | -21 | ... |
| Sexual violations against children | 10,388 | 27 | -1 | 152 |
| Assault - level 3 - aggravated | 3,817 | 10 | -5 | -2 |
| Assault - level 2 - weapon or bodily harm | 64,807 | 171 | 7 | 12 |
| Assault - level 1 | 177,580 | 467 | -7 | -9 |
| Assault against a peace officer | 12,108 | 32 | -2 | -32 |
| Other assaults | 1,985 | 5 | -13 | -46 |
| Firearms - use of, discharge, pointing | 4,137 | 11 | 15 | 84 |
| Robbery | 19,268 | 51 | -18 | -43 |
| Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 3,468 | 9 | -8 | -28 |
| Trafficking in persons2 | 342 | 1 | -13 | ... |
| Extortion | 5,495 | 14 | 28 | 212 |
| Criminal harassment | 24,322 | 64 | 4 | 2 |
| Uttering threats | 84,171 | 221 | 3 | -1 |
| Indecent or harassing communications | 25,802 | 68 | 9 | 7 |
| Non-consensual distribution of intimate images3 | 2,217 | 6 | 10 | ... |
| Offences in relation to sexual services4 | 758 | 2 | -35 | ... |
| Other violent Criminal Code violations | 5,172 | 14 | -4 | 9 |
| Total property crime | 1,166,986 | 3,071 | -13 | -20 |
| Breaking and entering | 137,516 | 362 | -16 | -38 |
| Possess stolen property5 | 22,685 | 60 | -14 | ... |
| Theft of motor vehicle | 78,155 | 206 | -11 | -24 |
| Theft over $5,000 (non-motor vehicle) | 20,272 | 53 | -6 | 16 |
| Shoplifting of $5,000 or under | 90,904 | 239 | -36 | -11 |
| Theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicle) | 343,521 | 904 | -20 | -30 |
| Fraud | 138,011 | 363 | -4 | 51 |
| Identity theft | 7,290 | 19 | 52 | 708 |
| Identity fraud | 22,594 | 59 | 12 | 227 |
| Mischief | 297,185 | 782 | 3 | -22 |
| Arson | 8,853 | 23 | 7 | -35 |
| Total other Criminal Code offences | 371,144 | 977 | -10 | -5 |
| Weapons violations | 19,485 | 51 | 3 | 16 |
| Child pornography | 11,055 | 29 | 23 | 488 |
| Prostitution4 | 66 | 0s | -53 | ... |
| Terrorism6 | 70 | 0s | -28 | ... |
| Disturb the peace | 107,258 | 282 | -2 | -20 |
| Administration of justice violations | 201,462 | 530 | -17 | 1 |
| Other violations | 31,748 | 84 | -5 | -12 |
| Total Criminal Code traffic violations | 125,244 | 330 | -10 | -22 |
| Alcohol-impaired driving | 61,311 | 161 | -17 | -36 |
| Drug-impaired driving | 7,510 | 20 | 15 | 289 |
| Alcohol- and drug-impaired driving7 | 7,105 | 19 | 57 | ... |
| Impaired driving (not specified)7 | 1,677 | 4 | -11 | ... |
| Other Criminal Code traffic violations | 47,641 | 125 | -8 | -23 |
| Total drug offences | 66,827 | 176 | -5 | -45 |
| Total other federal statute violations | 18,751 | 49 | -22 | -49 |
| Human trafficking under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act8 | 173 | 0s | 8 | ... |
| Youth Criminal Justice Act | 1,676 | 4 | -41 | -87 |
| Quarantine Act9 | 931 | 2 | ... | ... |
| Other federal statutes | 15,971 | 42 | -24 | -31 |
| Total - all violations | 2,225,601 | 5,856 | -10 | -16 |
...
not applicable
0
true zero or a value rounded to zero
0s
value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded
Note(s):
Police-reported statistics may be affected by differences in the way police services deal with offences. In some instances, police or municipalities might choose to deal with some offences using municipal bylaws or provincial provisions rather than Criminal Code provisions. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple violations. Data for specific types of crime are available, in most cases, from 1977. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Percentage changes are based on unrounded rates. Populations are based upon July 1st estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography.
Source(s):
Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (3302).
Table note 1
In 2019, the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey added a new violation code to collect information on "sexual offences which occurred prior to January 4, 1983." While most violations are not typically reported years after their occurrence, sexual violations may be reported by a victim long after the incident took place due to a variety of reasons. On January 4, 1983, Canadian legislation surrounding sexual offences changed considerably. In order to reflect these changes, the Survey added the new violation code rather than collect historical offences under an existing violation code that did not reflect the state of Canadian legislation at the time of the offence. Therefore, the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown.
Table note 2
Changes to the Criminal Code, including the introduction of new offences related to trafficking in persons were made in 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2014. Therefore, the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown.
Table note 3
Non-consensual distribution of intimate images is an offence created in 2015 by the former Bill C-13 "Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act," therefore the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown.
Table note 4
In December 2014, new legislation came into effect governing prostitution-related activities. The new legislation targets "the exploitation that is inherent in prostitution and the risks of violence posed to those who engage in it" (Criminal Code Chapter 25, preamble). New violations classified as "offences in relation to sexual services" under "violent crime" include: the purchasing of sexual services or communicating for that purpose, receiving a material benefit deriving from the purchase of sexual services, procuring of persons for the purpose of prostitution, and advertising sexual services offered for sale. In addition, a number of other offences related to prostitution continue to be considered non-violent offences and are classified under "other Criminal Code offences". These include communicating to provide sexual services for consideration and stopping or impeding traffic for the purpose of offering, providing or obtaining sexual services for consideration. Therefore, the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown.
Table note 5
Includes trafficking and the intent to traffic stolen goods. In 2011, the Uniform Crime Reported Survey updated the offences included in this violation, therefore the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown.
Table note 6
Includes seven terrorism violations which were introduced mid-year in 2013, as a result of the enactment of Bill S-7 (An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Canada Evidence Act and the Security of Information Act). An additional terrorism violation code was introduced in late 2015, as a result of the enactment of Bill C-51 Anti-terrorism Act. Therefore, comparisons to previous years should be made with caution. Terrorism is a relatively new crime category with only partial data available prior to 2010; therefore, the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown. Due to the length of time for investigations to confirm whether or not the incident is founded, annual counts of terrorism offences are subject to revisions downwards when revised data are released one year after the initial release; therefore, changes between the current year of data and the previous year should be interpreted with caution.
Table note 7
Reflects new impaired driving offences as per former Bill C-46 "An Act to amend the Criminal Code (offences relating to conveyances) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts" which came into effect part way through 2018. Therefore, the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown.
Table note 8
Includes human trafficking violations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Data specific to these offences are not available prior to 2011, therefore, the percentage change from 2010 to 2020 is not shown.
Table note 9
The Quarantine Act is applicable to persons arriving in or departing from Canada. It provides measures for the screening, health assessment and medical examination of travellers to determine whether they have a communicable disease and to prevent the introduction and spread of such disease. The Quarantine Act requires any persons entering Canada—whether by air, sea or land—to quarantine (self-isolate) themselves for 14 days if they are asymptomatic in order to limit the introduction and spread of COVID-19. The 14-day period begins on the day the person enters Canada. With the Government of Canada's March 2020 announcement of restrictions on persons arriving in or departing from Canada, pursuant to its powers under the Quarantine Act, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey was adjusted to add a specific Quarantine Act violation code. As police services adopt this new code and adjust to the new reporting requirements, there may be data revisions made to correct any misreporting of these incidents. Revised data will be available for the 2021 UCR release. Therefore, the percentage changes from 2019 to 2020 and 2010 to 2020 are not shown.
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