Safe Cities profile series: Key indicators by census metropolitan area
London, Ontario

Satisfaction with safety

London 87%, Ontario 89%, Canada 88%
proportion of people who reported being satisfied with their personal safety from crime in 2014
* significantly different from London (p < 0.05)
Police-reported violent crime rate in 2018

London 874, Ontario 899, Canada 1,143
rate per 100,000 population
Ten-year change in police-reported crime rate (2008 to 2018)

London -14%, Ontario -16%, Canada, -17%
Population and demographics
London, Ontario
London was home to 532,984 people in 2018, and it had a population density of 200 residents per square kilometre. Three in ten (30%) residents were aged 24 and younger, on par with the distribution in Ontario (29%) and across Canada (28%).
About 2.5% of London residents were part of the Indigenous population (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) in 2016, similar to Ontario (2.8%) but lower than Canada (4.9%). Immigrants represented about one in five (19%) residents, lower than Ontario (29%) but closer to Canada (22%). About one in eight (13%) immigrants in London were recent immigrants (since 2011), similar to Ontario (12%) but lower than Canada (16%). The proportion of people who identified as a visible minority in London (16%) was notably lower than Ontario (29%) but closer to Canada overall (22%).
Education, employment and income
In 2016, around two in three (65%) London residents aged 25 to 64 had completed some form of postsecondary education, one in four (25%) had completed high school (or equivalent) as their highest level of education, and one in ten (10%) had completed neither.
In 2018, the unemployment rate in London (5.6%) was on par with Ontario (5.6%) and Canada’s provinces (5.8%). Households in London earned a median after-tax annual income of $51,940 in 2017, similar to in Ontario ($53,850) and Canada ($52,090). The percentage of families considered low-income was the same in London (17%), Ontario (17%) and Canada (17%).
Housing and families
On average, there were 2.4 persons per household in London in 2016, similar to Ontario (2.6) and Canada (2.4). Just under two in three (64%) households in London owned their homes, lower than Ontario (70%) and Canada (68%). When a household spends 30% or more of its income on shelter costs, it is considered to live in unaffordable housing: this was the case for one in four (26%) London households, similar to Ontario (28%) and Canada (24%). A small proportion (5.9%) of occupied private dwellings in London were in need of major repairs, similar to Ontario (6.1%) and Canada (6.5%). Just under one-fifth (18%) of London families were lone-parent families, similar to Ontario (17%) and Canada (16%). In 2018, there were an estimated 406 homeless individuals living in London.
Community safety and sense of belonging
- In 2014, two in five (42%) London residents aged 15 and older were very satisfied with their personal safety from crime, similar to Ontario residents (40%) but slightly higher than Canadians living in the provinces overall (38%).
- Half (50%) of London residents felt very safe when walking alone after dark, similar to in Ontario (51%) and Canada’s provinces (52%).
- Women who lived in London were significantly less likely than men to feel very safe when walking alone after dark (33% versus 62%), similar to Ontario and Canada’s provinces.
- One in five (19%) London residents thought social disorder was a big or moderate problem in their neighbourhood, slightly lower than in Ontario (21%) and Canada’s provinces (22%).
- Just over one in five (22%) London residents said they had a very strong sense of belonging to their community, slightly lower than in Ontario (25%) and Canada’s provinces (25%).
- Over a six-year period (2009 to 2014), 15%E of London residents experienced discrimination, similar to Ontario (15%) and Canada’s provinces (13%).
- About 16% of London residents said they knew most people in their neighbourhood in 2014, which was not significantly different than Ontario (20%) but was significantly lower than Canada’s provinces (21%).
- The vast majority (91%) of London residents reported having confidence in police in 2014, on par with residents in Ontario (91%) and Canada’s provinces (91%).
Self-reported experiences of victimization
- In 2018, 11.5% of London residents aged 15 and older were victims of a self-reported physical or sexual assault, twice as high as in Ontario (4.6%) and Canada’s provinces (4.4%).
- Three in ten (29%) London residents experienced unwanted sexual behaviour in public, which was not significantly different than Ontario (25%) and Canada’s provinces (23%).
Police-reported crime
- In 2018, London police reported an overall crime rate of 5,963 incidents per 100,000 population, 45% higher than in Ontario (4,113) and 9% higher than in Canada (5,488).
- Over the past decade (2008 to 2018), police-reported crime declined by 14% in London, close to the decline seen in Ontario (-16%) and Canada (-17%).
- The severity of crime in London increased by 7% between 2017 and 2018, mostly due to an increase in breaking and entering, fraud and theft of $5,000 or under (non-shoplifting). Over the past decade (2008 to 2018), the severity of crime in London declined by 10%, compared with a 15% decline in Ontario and a 17% decline in Canada.
Property crime
- Police-reported: There were 4,198 property crimes per 100,000 population reported by police in London in 2018, 60% higher than Ontario (2,621) and 26% higher than Canada (3,339).
- Self-reported: There were 164E property crimes per 1,000 London households reported in 2014 (includes break and enter, theft of motor vehicle or parts, theft of household property and vandalism), which was not significantly different from Ontario (128) and Canada’s provinces (143).
Violent crime
- In 2018, there were 874 incidents of violent crime per 100,000 population reported by police in London, 3% lower than Ontario (899) and 24% lower than Canada overall (1,143)
- In London, just over half (54%) of victims of violent crime were female, similar to Ontario (53%) and Canada (53%).
- Between 2008 and 2018:
- The violent crime rate in London declined by 12%, similar to the decline seen in Ontario (-14%) and Canada (-14%).
- The severity of violent crime in London declined by 4%, which was smaller than the decline in Ontario (-11%) and Canada (-13%).
- Violent crime against girls and women in London saw a much smaller decline between 2009 and 2018 than violent crime against boys and men (-8% versus -19%).
Hate crime
- The police-reported hate crime rate—which depends on police services' level of expertise in identifying crimes motivated by hate—was somewhat higher in London (6.4 incidents per 100,000 population) than in Ontario (5.3) and Canada (4.9) in 2018.
- Between 2014 and 2018, the rate of police-reported hate crime in London increased by 78%, a notably larger increase compared with Ontario (+10%) and Canada (+33%).
Intimate partner violence
- There were 283 victims of intimate partner violence per 100,000 population aged 15 and older reported by police in London in 2018, 17% higher than Ontario (243) but 12% lower than Canada (323).
- The large majority (84%) of victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in London were female, somewhat higher than in Ontario (81%) and Canada (79%).
- Same-sex partners accounted for 3.2% of police-reported intimate partner violence in London between 2009 and 2018, similar to Ontario (4.2%) and Canada (3.4%).
Homicide
- In 2018, London had 6 homicides—a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 population—lower than Ontario (1.86) and Canada (1.76).
- Of the 6 homicide victims in London, 1 was female (17%). This was a lower proportion than in Ontario (27%) and Canada (25%).
- The number of homicides in London increased from 2 victims in 2008 to 6 victims in 2018.
Charts and tables
Chart 1 start
Data table for Chart 1
Year | Violent Crime Severity Index | Non-violent Crime Severity Index | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
London | Ontario | Canada | London | Ontario | Canada | |
index | ||||||
1998 | 64 | 85 | 98 | 123 | 107 | 127 |
1999 | 71 | 83 | 99 | 124 | 96 | 116 |
2000 | 71 | 85 | 98 | 125 | 91 | 110 |
2001 | 70 | 85 | 97 | 114 | 87 | 108 |
2002 | 66 | 82 | 96 | 113 | 85 | 107 |
2003 | 67 | 81 | 98 | 110 | 84 | 110 |
2004 | 71 | 79 | 96 | 98 | 78 | 107 |
2005 | 76 | 83 | 99 | 100 | 74 | 102 |
2006 | 82 | 87 | 100 | 110 | 75 | 100 |
2007 | 69 | 86 | 98 | 97 | 70 | 94 |
2008 | 65 | 82 | 95 | 92 | 67 | 89 |
2009 | 70 | 82 | 94 | 95 | 64 | 85 |
2010 | 75 | 78 | 89 | 87 | 61 | 81 |
2011 | 72 | 73 | 86 | 83 | 57 | 75 |
2012 | 65 | 70 | 82 | 79 | 55 | 73 |
2013 | 58 | 62 | 74 | 71 | 49 | 67 |
2014 | 47 | 58 | 71 | 73 | 47 | 65 |
2015 | 57 | 60 | 75 | 69 | 48 | 68 |
2016 | 60 | 65 | 77 | 71 | 49 | 70 |
2017 | 62 | 70 | 81 | 74 | 51 | 71 |
2018 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 81 | 55 | 72 |
Note: Crime Severity Indexes are based on Criminal Code incidents, including traffic offences, as well as other federal statute violations. The base index was set at 100 for 2006 for Canada. Data on the Crime Severity Indexes are available as of 1998. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Chart 1 end
Chart 2 start
Data table for Chart 2
Year | Female victims | Male victims | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
London | Ontario | Canada | London | Ontario | Canada | |
rate per 100,000 population | ||||||
2009 | 898 | 937 | 1,206 | 899 | 940 | 1,202 |
2010 | 931 | 917 | 1,209 | 855 | 913 | 1,162 |
2011 | 869 | 872 | 1,124 | 785 | 859 | 1,087 |
2012 | 775 | 824 | 1,079 | 736 | 809 | 1,048 |
2013 | 736 | 771 | 1,004 | 665 | 726 | 947 |
2014 | 658 | 721 | 952 | 646 | 675 | 898 |
2015 | 724 | 729 | 970 | 651 | 687 | 914 |
2016 | 724 | 741 | 978 | 701 | 708 | 910 |
2017 | 769 | 790 | 1,019 | 713 | 739 | 926 |
2018 | 823 | 834 | 1,048 | 728 | 766 | 936 |
Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Excludes victims where the sex was reported as unknown. Victims refer to those aged 89 and younger. Victims aged 90 and older are excluded due to possible instances of miscoding of unknown age within this age category. For a list of offences included in violent crime see Table 2. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database. |
Chart 2 end
Chart 3 start
Data table for Chart 3
Year | London | Ontario | Canada |
---|---|---|---|
rate per 100,000 population | |||
2009 | 4,925 | 3,193 | 4,122 |
2010 | 4,220 | 2,968 | 3,838 |
2011 | 3,865 | 2,760 | 3,536 |
2012 | 3,680 | 2,648 | 3,438 |
2013 | 3,361 | 2,365 | 3,154 |
2014 | 3,579 | 2,281 | 3,100 |
2015 | 3,431 | 2,290 | 3,231 |
2016 | 3,629 | 2,315 | 3,239 |
2017 | 3,844 | 2,428 | 3,266 |
2018 | 4,198 | 2,621 | 3,339 |
Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. For a list of offences included in property crime see Table 3. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Chart 3 end
Table 1 start
Type of offence | London | Ontario | Canada | Percent difference between London and Ontario | Percent difference between London and Canada |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
rate | |||||
Total crime (excluding traffic) | 5,963 | 4,113 | 5,488 | 45 | 9 |
Total violent crime | 874 | 899 | 1,143 | -3 | -24 |
Violations causing death and attempted murder | 2 | 5 | 4 | -57 | -52 |
Sexual assault and sexual violations against childrenTable 1 Note 1 | 95 | 91 | 101 | 5 | -6 |
AssaultsTable 1 Note 2 | 524 | 500 | 649 | 5 | -19 |
Other violent offences | 253 | 303 | 389 | -16 | -35 |
Total property crime | 4,198 | 2,621 | 3,339 | 60 | 26 |
Breaking and entering | 456 | 319 | 431 | 43 | 6 |
TheftTable 1 Note 3 | 2,514 | 1,506 | 1,720 | 67 | 46 |
Fraud | 511 | 381 | 402 | 34 | 27 |
MischiefTable 1 Note 4 | 638 | 372 | 699 | 72 | -9 |
Other property crime offences | 80 | 43 | 86 | 84 | -7 |
Total other Criminal Code offences | 890 | 593 | 1,006 | 50 | -12 |
Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 332 | 199 | 339 | 67 | -2 |
Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 5 | 71 | 92 | 178 | -23 | -60 |
Total drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 6 | 15 | 6 | 12 | 134 | 22 |
Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 1 Note 7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | -17 |
Impaired driving (not specified)Table 1 Note 7 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | -100 | -100 |
Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 246 | 99 | 148 | 148 | 66 |
Total drug offences | 167 | 146 | 225 | 15 | -26 |
Total other federal statute offences | 7 | 29 | 70 | -74 | -89 |
Total all offences | 6,470 | 4,487 | 6,123 | 44 | 6 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Table 1 end
Table 2 start
Type of offence | London | Ontario | Canada | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | Female victims | Male victims | |
rate | ||||||
Total violent crime | 823 | 728 | 834 | 766 | 1,048 | 936 |
Violations causing death and attempted murder | 0.7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 6 |
Homicide | 0.4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.9 | 3 |
Other violations causing deathTable 2 Note 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
Attempted murder | 0.4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Sexual offences | 165 | 20 | 152 | 22 | 170 | 23 |
Sexual assault | 145 | 16 | 130 | 17 | 134 | 16 |
Sexual assault – level 3 – aggravated | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
Sexual assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 1 | 0.4 | 2 | 0.5 | 2 | 0.4 |
Sexual assault – level 1 | 144 | 16 | 128 | 17 | 131 | 16 |
Sexual violations against childrenTable 2 Note 2 | 20 | 4 | 22 | 5 | 36 | 7 |
Assaults | 500 | 547 | 467 | 510 | 613 | 644 |
Physical assault | 487 | 490 | 456 | 463 | 599 | 590 |
Assault – level 3 – aggravated | 2 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 13 |
Assault – level 2 – weapon or bodily harm | 102 | 151 | 83 | 126 | 111 | 173 |
Assault – level 1 | 383 | 328 | 369 | 327 | 483 | 404 |
Assault against a peace officer | 11 | 54 | 7 | 37 | 10 | 48 |
Other assaults | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
Other violent offences | 157 | 158 | 213 | 227 | 263 | 262 |
Firearms – use of, discharge, pointing | 0.7 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
Robbery | 21 | 64 | 27 | 83 | 31 | 75 |
Forcible confinement or kidnapping | 16 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 3 |
Trafficking in personsTable 2 Note 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. | 1 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. |
Extortion | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 9 |
Criminal harassment | 36 | 10 | 52 | 16 | 53 | 17 |
Uttering threats | 66 | 75 | 85 | 102 | 114 | 134 |
Indecent or harassing communications | 1 | 0.4 | 16 | 8 | 22 | 9 |
Non-consensual distribution of intimate images | 4 | 0.4 | 5 | 0.8 | 7 | 1 |
Commodification of sexual activityTable 2 Note 4 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.6 | 0sNote: value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value. | 1 | 0.1 |
Other violent offences | 7 | 0.8 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 8 |
Total traffic offences | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 21 |
Traffic violations causing death | 0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
Traffic violations causing bodily harm | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
Traffic violations – injury unspecified or unknownTable 2 Note 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0 | 9 | 12 |
0s value rounded to 0 (zero) where there is a meaningful distinction between true zero and the value that was rounded. A “0” represents a true zero value.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Trend Database. |
Table 2 end
Table 3 start
Type of offence | London | Ontario | Canada | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | rate | number | rate | number | rate | |
Total non-violent crime | 29,931 | 5,595 | 513,941 | 3,588 | 1,845,269 | 4,979 |
Total property crime | 22,459 | 4,198 | 375,402 | 2,621 | 1,237,324 | 3,339 |
Breaking and entering | 2,439 | 456 | 45,736 | 319 | 159,812 | 431 |
Possess stolen propertyTable 3 Note 1 | 334 | 62 | 4,854 | 34 | 23,898 | 64 |
Theft of motor vehicle | 1,618 | 302 | 23,952 | 167 | 86,132 | 232 |
Theft over $5,000 (non-motor vehicle) | 328 | 61 | 5,887 | 41 | 20,113 | 54 |
Theft of $5,000 or under (non-motor vehicle) | 11,502 | 2,150 | 185,837 | 1,297 | 531,312 | 1,434 |
Fraud | 2,433 | 455 | 49,193 | 343 | 129,409 | 349 |
Identity theft | 9 | 2 | 426 | 3 | 3,745 | 10 |
Identity fraud | 290 | 54 | 4,907 | 34 | 15,839 | 43 |
MischiefTable 3 Note 2 | 3,412 | 638 | 53,236 | 372 | 259,064 | 699 |
Arson | 94 | 18 | 1,374 | 10 | 8,000 | 22 |
Total other offences | 4,759 | 890 | 84,959 | 593 | 372,834 | 1,006 |
Weapons violations | 255 | 48 | 4,415 | 31 | 16,610 | 45 |
Child pornographyTable 3 Note 3 | 52 | 10 | 1,669 | 12 | 5,843 | 16 |
ProstitutionTable 3 Note 4 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0.2 | 110 | 0.3 |
Terrorism | 2 | 0.4 | 58 | 0.4 | 102 | 0.3 |
Disturb the peace | 404 | 76 | 5,075 | 35 | 94,378 | 255 |
Administration of justice offences | 3,431 | 641 | 66,876 | 467 | 226,864 | 612 |
Other offences | 615 | 115 | 6,837 | 48 | 28,927 | 78 |
Total Criminal Code traffic offences | 1,777 | 332 | 28,446 | 199 | 125,544 | 339 |
Total alcohol-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 5 | 379 | 71 | 13,216 | 92 | 65,820 | 178 |
Total drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 6 | 78 | 15 | 894 | 6 | 4,429 | 12 |
Alcohol and drug-impaired drivingTable 3 Note 7 | 3 | 0.6 | 80 | 0.6 | 250 | 0.7 |
Impaired driving (not specified)Table 3 Note 7 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 0.4 | 94 | 0.3 |
Other Criminal Code traffic offences | 1,317 | 246 | 14,201 | 99 | 54,951 | 148 |
Total drug offences | 896 | 167 | 20,937 | 146 | 83,483 | 225 |
Total other federal statute offences | 40 | 7 | 4,197 | 29 | 26,084 | 70 |
Human traffickingTable 3 Note 8 | 0 | 0 | 94 | 0.7 | 112 | 0.3 |
Youth Criminal Justice Act | 13 | 2 | 1,076 | 8 | 4,823 | 13 |
Other federal statute offences | 27 | 5 | 3,027 | 21 | 21,149 | 57 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Table 3 end
Table 4 start
Year | Violent crime | Property crime | Total crime | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | number | rate | percent change in rate from previous year | |
2008 | 4,787 | 990 | -1 | 23,206 | 4,801 | -1 | 33,410 | 6,912 | -3 |
2009 | 4,697 | 968 | -2 | 23,896 | 4,925 | 3 | 33,456 | 6,895 | -0.3 |
2010 | 5,005 | 1,024 | 6 | 20,620 | 4,220 | -14 | 30,791 | 6,302 | -9 |
2011 | 4,752 | 967 | -6 | 18,999 | 3,865 | -8 | 28,931 | 5,886 | -7 |
2012 | 4,469 | 904 | -7 | 18,194 | 3,680 | -5 | 28,337 | 5,731 | -3 |
2013 | 4,040 | 813 | -10 | 16,696 | 3,361 | -9 | 26,181 | 5,270 | -8 |
2014 | 3,837 | 768 | -6 | 17,882 | 3,579 | 6 | 27,569 | 5,517 | 5 |
2015 | 3,934 | 782 | 2 | 17,269 | 3,431 | -4 | 27,001 | 5,364 | -3 |
2016 | 4,076 | 797 | 2 | 18,556 | 3,629 | 6 | 28,387 | 5,552 | 4 |
2017 | 4,318 | 826 | 4 | 20,089 | 3,844 | 6 | 29,448 | 5,635 | 2 |
2018 | 4,678 | 874 | 6 | 22,459 | 4,198 | 9 | 31,896 | 5,963 | 6 |
Percent change from 2008 to 2018 | -2 | -12 | Note ...: not applicable | -3 | -13 | Note ...: not applicable | -5 | -14 | Note ...: not applicable |
... not applicable Note: Crime rates are based on Criminal Code incidents, excluding traffic offences. Counts are based on the most serious violation in the incident. One incident may involve multiple offences. Rates are calculated on the basis of 100,000 population. Populations are based on July 1 estimates from Statistics Canada, Centre for Demography. Percent changes are based on unrounded rates. For a list of offences included in violent crime see Table 2 and for a list of offences included in property crime see Table 3. Total crime includes violent, property and other types of crimes. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Aggregate Database. |
Table 4 end
E use with caution
Note: This fact sheet contains data that come from multiple sources across multiple reference years. Some figures may be presented differently than in other Statistics Canada publications due to rounding. For detailed information on data definitions and sources, please refer to the Safe Cities profile series: Definitions and data sources document.
- Date modified: