Table 5 
Police-reported crime for selected offences, Canada, 2024 and 2025 

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, there are a variety of reasons why sexual violations may be reported by a victim long after the incident took place. On January 4, 1983, Canadian legislation surrounding sexual offences changed considerably. To reflect these changes, the survey added the new violation code rather than collecting 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 2015 to 2025 is not shown.

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 2015 to 2025 is not shown since there could be delays in reporting new violations. Additionally, data specific to human trafficking violations under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act are not available before 2011. Trafficking in persons incidents reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey may be undercounted because of differences in police reporting practices for this violation.

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 2015 to 2025 is not shown since there could be delays in reporting new violations.

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 violations". 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 2015 to 2025 is not shown since there could be delays in reporting new violations.

Total property crime includes violation "possession or distribution of device linked to motor vehicle theft," introduced in the Criminal Code in June 2024.

Includes trafficking and the intent to traffic stolen goods.

In the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey, shoplifting has been collected as a distinct violation code for statistical reporting purposes, allowing it to be analyzed separately from other thefts. The classification of an incident as shoplifting is based on information gathered by police through their investigation and reported to the UCR Survey. Shoplifting is not a separate offence under the Criminal Code and is included within the broader offence of theft.

Child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAEM) was previously referred to as child pornography. This reflects an amendment in terminology which came into force in the Criminal Code in October 2025. Due to a substantial increase in case volume and complexity—including the use of generative artificial intelligence and high volumes of text-based content—police services may lack the resources to investigate all identified cases and may encounter broader investigative challenges (for example, legal thresholds for warrants, IP address privacy limitations, and the complexity of cybercrime investigations). When interpreting annual changes, police-reported incidents of CSAEM likely reflect a considerable undercount of the occurrence of these crimes in Canada. Instead, annual counts and trends likely reflect the number of investigations (active or closed), rather than all identified cases. For more information, see the Juristat article Online child sexual exploitation: A statistical profile of police-reported incidents in Canada, 2024.

Includes seven terrorism violations which were introduced mid-year in 2013 as a result of the enactment of former 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 former Bill C-51 "Anti-terrorism Act." Therefore, the percentage change from 2015 to 2025 is not shown. Because of the length of time for investigations to confirm whether 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.

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 2015 to 2025 is not shown.

The longer-term decline and the recent increase in drug offences from 2023 to 2025 may be due in part to changes in policing practices and enforcement in response to: 1) the August 2020 guidelines issued by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada directing prosecutors to focus on prosecutions for the most serious offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and to otherwise pursue suitable alternative measures and diversion from the criminal justice system for simple possession cases; 2) the introduction of Health Canada's section 56(1) exemption from the CDSA for the province of British Columbia for personal possession of small amounts of certain illegal drugs, that came into effect on January 31, 2023. On May 7, 2024, the exemption in British Columbia was amended to apply to adults only in specific locations: where they are in a designated health care clinic; where they are unhoused and sheltering in accordance with all applicable laws; or where they are in a private residence. This amendment again provided police authority to arrest, warn/charge, and seize illegal substances outside the scope and criteria of the amended exemption, including in public spaces. This has resulted in more police-reported drug possession offences for the majority of 2024 and all of 2025, relative to before the amendment; 3) additionally, changes in the rate of offences related to importation or exportation of Cannabis and other illicit drugs and controlled substances may be due in part to operational conditions and reporting of seizure cases, involving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Federal Policing No Case Seizure team, Canada Border Services Agency and the Canada Post Mail Centre. Cases generated as a result of this exchange may encounter delays in processing such that the year in which occurrences are reported by police may not always correspond to the year in which they occurred. Therefore, year-over-year changes in drug offences should be considered with caution.