Rural crime fact sheets, 2023: Newfoundland and Labrador

Map 1 start

Map 1 end

Demographic and household characteristics

There were 527,056 people living in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2021. About half (53%) of the population lived in urban areas, while the other half (47%) lived in rural areas.^Note 

According to data from the most recent Census of Population, overall, Newfoundland and Labrador’s rural population was generally older than the population residing in urban areas (Table 1). Nearly 3 in 10 (28%) rural residents were aged 65 years and older, compared with 20% of urban residents.

A higher proportion of residents in rural areas (12%) than in urban areas (7%) were First Nations people, Métis or Inuit (Indigenous). In the rural North^Note  , more than 4 in 10 (43%) residents were Indigenous, which was much higher than the proportion of Indigenous persons residing in the rural South (8%).  

Newfoundland and Labrador was home to a small number of immigrants in 2021. However, the proportion of immigrants in urban areas (4%) was four times higher than the proportion in rural areas (1%). Similarly, the proportion of individuals belonging to a racialized group was five times higher in urban areas (5%) than in rural areas (1%).

In 2021, a larger proportion of urban residents than rural residents aged 25 to 64 years had completed some form of postsecondary education. Three in ten (29%) urban residents aged 25 to 64 years completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with just over one in ten (11%) rural residents.

Urban households in Newfoundland and Labrador had higher after-tax incomes than rural households. Rural areas had a larger proportion of residents who met the threshold considered to be low-income^Note  (17%), compared with urban areas (12%).

In 2021, one in five (20%) rural residents were unemployed, compared with just over one in ten (12%) residents in urban areas.  

It is important to note that the nature and extent of crime is influenced by various demographic, social and economic characteristics. For more information, see Characteristics of police-reported crime in rural areas, 2023: Provincial fact sheets.

Characteristics of police-reported crime

In 2023, 46% of people in Newfoundland and Labrador were served by a police service covering a predominantly rural area.^Note 

According to police-reported data from the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey, in 2023, the overall rate of police-reported crime (excluding Criminal Code traffic and other federal statute violations) in rural Newfoundland and Labrador was 8,054 incidents per 100,000 population, which was 25% higher than the crime rate in urban areas (6,437) (Table 2).^Note  Compared with 2022, the crime rate in 2023 in both rural and urban areas was up slightly (+4% and +6%, respectively).^Note  However, compared with 2018, it increased 43% in rural areas and was up 19% in urban areas.

Over the past decade, the crime rate has remained fairly stable in urban areas of the province, while there were larger fluctuations in the crime rates in rural areas, particularly in the rural North (Chart 1).

Chart 1 start

Chart 1 end

The rural North of Newfoundland and Labrador recorded the highest overall crime rate in the province in 2023 (28,461 incidents per 100,000 population). This rate was more than five times higher than the rate recorded in the rural South (5,418) and was more than four times higher than the rate in urban areas (6,437).

Characteristics of police-reported violent crime

In 2023, the police-reported violent crime rate was 1.2 times higher in rural areas than in urban areas of Newfoundland and Labrador (2,030 versus 1,733 incidents per 100,000 population) (Table 2). From 2018 to 2023, the rate of violent crime was up 55% in rural areas, compared to an increase of 26% in urban areas.

Police services in the rural North recorded the highest rate of violent crime in 2023, at 6,076 incidents per 100,000 population, which was four times higher than the rate among police services in the rural South (1,508). This rate was also much higher (3.5 times) than the violent crime rate recorded among urban police services (1,733).

In 2023, violent crime accounted for just over one in five (22%) police-reported crimes (including Criminal Code traffic and other federal statute offences) in rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador and one in four crimes in urban areas (25%).

Assaults and firearm-specific offences accounted for more than half (56%) of violent crime in rural areas and half (49%) of violent crime in urban areas. In the rural North specifically, assaults and firearm-specific offences accounted for more than 7 in 10 (72%) violent crimes.

The rate of assaults and firearm-specific offences in rural areas (1,144 incidents per 100,000) was also higher (1.4 times) than the rate of these offences in urban areas (843). However, for other types of violent offences, such as uttering threats, rates of crime were higher in urban areas than in rural areas (453 versus 441 per 100,000).

Within rural areas, rates of violent crime were much higher in the North than in the South. The largest gap occurred for the rate of assaults and firearm-specific offences, which was nearly six times higher in the rural North than in the rural South (4,354 versus 730 incidents per 100,000 population). Similarly, the rate of sexual offences was almost four times higher in the rural North (456 per 100,000) than in the rural South (116). From 2018 to 2023, the rate of sexual offences increased in both rural (+44%) and urban areas (+57%) of the province.

Characteristics of police-reported non-violent crime

In 2023, police services in rural Newfoundland and Labrador reported 10,495 incidents of property crime, which corresponded to a rate of 4,277 incidents per 100,000 population (Table 2). This rate was 16% higher than the rate of property crime recorded by urban police services (3,695). From 2018 to 2023, the rate of property crime was up in both rural (+44%) and urban areas (+25%).

The rural North recorded the highest property crime rate in the province in 2023 (15,219 incidents per 100,000 population), which was more than four times higher than the rate in urban areas (3,695) and more than five times higher than the rate in the rural South (2,864).

Property crime accounted for just under half (47%) of all police-reported criminal incidents in rural areas and just over half (54%) of all crime in urban areas in 2023. Mischief was the most common type of property crime reported by police services in rural areas (65%) and was the second most common type of property crime in urban areas (32%). However, the proportion of property crime that it represented varied considerably. In the rural North for instance, mischief accounted for 84% of property crime, while it represented just over half (52%) of property crime in the rural South.

Rates of property crime varied in rural and urban areas of Newfoundland and Labrador. The rate of mischief for example was 2.4 times higher in rural areas (2,791 incidents per 100,000) than in urban areas (1,182), while the rate of motor vehicle theft was lower (105 versus 130 incidents per 100,000, -19%).

In rural areas, crime rates were higher in the North than in the South for all property violations. For example, the rate of mischief was more than eight times higher in the rural North than in the rural South (12,818 versus 1,496 incidents per 100,000 population). The rate of motor vehicle theft was also nearly three times higher in the rural North (253 incidents per 100,000) than in the rural South (86).

In 2023, the rate of other Criminal Code violations was 73% higher in rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador (1,746 incidents per 100,000 population) than in urban areas (1,009). From 2018 to 2023, the rate of other Criminal Code violations increased (+28%) in rural areas, while it was down (-6%) in urban areas.

The rate of incidents of disturbing the peace was nearly 12 times higher in the rural North (4,109 incidents per 100,000 population) than in the rural South (352). The rate in the rural North was also more than 30 times higher than the rate recorded in urban areas (136).   

Characteristics of victims of police-reported violent crime

Women and girls represented a larger proportion of victims of violent crime in rural areas (57%) than in urban areas (50%) (Table 3). In 2023, more than 6 in 10 (62%) victims of violent crime in the rural North were women and girls.

The rate of women and girl victims of violent crime was also much higher in rural areas than in urban areas of the province. Women and girls were victimized at the highest rate in the rural North (7,317 victims per 100,000 women and girls)—4.8 times higher than the rate in the rural South (1,531) and 6.5 times higher than the rate in urban areas (1,133).

In 2023, police-reported violent crime rates were highest among victims aged 18 to 44 years in both rural (4,290 victims per 100,000 population aged 18 to 44 years) and urban areas (1,834) of Newfoundland and Labrador. The rate of victims of violent crime was highest in the rural North for all age categories.

Most victims of violent crime knew the person accused of committing the violence against them. However, victims in rural areas were more likely than victims in urban areas to know the accused (86% versus 74%).

In rural areas, violence was most commonly perpetrated by someone known to the victim other than an intimate partner or non-spousal family member^Note  (39%), or by an intimate partner (28%). In comparison, in urban areas, the accused was most commonly someone known to the victim other than an intimate partner or non-spousal family member (38%), or a stranger (26%). Victims in rural areas were much less likely to be victimized by a stranger (14%).

A smaller proportion of violent crime victims were physically injured in incidents reported by rural police services (31%) than in incidents reported by urban police services (37%). A much larger proportion of victims in the rural North sustained physical injuries (44%) than victims in the rural South (24%).

Characteristics of police-reported violent crime incidents

In 2023, most police-reported violent incidents in both rural and urban areas did not involve the presence of a weapon (86% and 87%, respectively) (Table 4). Police services in the rural North reported the highest proportion of violent incidents involving the presence of a weapon (18%) and the corresponding highest rate (866 incidents per 100,000 population). This rate was over five times higher than the rate of violent incidents involving weapons in the rural South (159) and was more than four times higher than the rate of such incidents in urban areas (184).

Most incidents of violent crime in both rural and urban areas occurred in a private residence (73% and 59%, respectively). In urban areas, one in five incidents occurred in a commercial or non-residential location (21%), or on public transportation, streets, roads or open areas (20%).

In 2023, 3 in 10 (30%) incidents of violent crime in rural areas and one-quarter (25%) of violent incidents in urban areas were cleared by the laying or recommendation of charges. In the rural North, more than one-third (36%) of violent incidents were cleared by laying or recommending charges. Equal proportions of violent incidents in both rural and urban areas were classified as being cleared otherwise (8%, each).^Note  The lowest proportion of incidents that were not cleared^Note  was in the rural North (57%).

Family and intimate partner violence

In 2023, rates of intimate partner violence^Note  (IPV) were highest among women and girl victims, in both rural and urban areas of the province (Table 5). In rural areas, the rate of IPV among women and girls (910 victims per 100,000 women and girls) were more than three times higher than the rate among men and boys (264). Similarly, in urban areas, the rate of IPV was also more than three times higher (415 versus 129). As with other types of crime, rates of IPV were much higher in the rural North than in other parts of the province for all types of victims.

Over time, rates of police-reported IPV have varied across the province. In rural areas, the rate of IPV increased by 55% from 2013 to 2023, while it declined by 9% in urban areas (Chart 2). The largest increase was noted in the rural South, where the rate of IPV was up by 50% from 2013 to 2023.

Chart 2 start

Chart 2 end

As with IPV, rates of family violence^Note  were higher across the province among women and girls than men and boys. In rural areas, the rate of family violence against women and girls (711 victims per 100,000 women and girls) was 72% higher than the rate against men and boys (415) (Table 5). In urban areas, the rate of family violence against women and girls was also higher (+87%) than among men and boys (340 versus 182 per 100,000). Like IPV, the rural North recorded the highest rates of family violence for both women and girl (2,176 victims per 100,000) and men and boy (1,225) victims.

Rates of family violence increased across the province from 2013 to 2023, with rural areas seeing a particularly large increase (+39%, versus +3% in urban areas) (Chart 2). As with IPV, the largest increase in the rate of family violence was seen in the rural South (+42% from 2013 to 2023).

In both rural and urban areas, rates of IPV and family violence were highest among people aged 18 to 44 years (including both women and girls and men and boys who were victims) (Table 5). The gap between women and girls and men and boys when it came to rates of both of these forms of violence was largest with this age group, and grew smaller among older victims.

A smaller proportion of victims of police-reported IPV and family violence sustained physical injuries in rural areas (37%) than in urban areas (41%). Nearly half of victims of IPV and family violence in the rural North (49%) had physical injuries, which was much higher than the proportion in the rural South (30%).

Characteristics of accused persons

In 2023, women and girls represented a slightly higher proportion of accused persons in rural areas (28%) than in urban areas (24%) of Newfoundland and Labrador, across all large offence categories (Table 6). In rural areas, women and girls also represented a higher proportion of accused in the North (34%) than in the South (22%). However, overall, men and boys represented the largest proportion of accused persons of crime in the province. 

Rates of persons accused of crime were higher in rural areas than in urban areas for both women and girl and men and boy accused, across all age categories. Rates of crime were generally highest for accused persons aged 25 to 44 years, who often make up the largest proportion of accused persons of crime. Men aged 25 to 44 years in the rural North were accused of crime at the highest rate in the province (21,871 persons accused per 100,000 population aged 25 to 44 years), which was 3.9 times higher than the rate in this age category among men accused in the rural South (5,647).

In rural areas, the gap between the North and the South was larger for women and girls accused of crime than it was for men and boy accused and for accused persons overall. In the rural North, the rate of women accused aged 18 to 24 years was nearly nine times higher (7,993 per 100,000 population aged 18 to 24 years) than the rate among women accused in this age category in the rural South (917).

Rates of violent crime were also higher in the rural North than in the rural South for both women and girl and men and boy accused. For instance, the rate of violent crime for women accused aged 18 to 24 years was more than six times higher in the rural North than in the rural South (2,575 versus 417). Similarly, among men accused in the same age category, the rate of violent crime in the rural North was slightly more than five times higher than the rate in the rural South (6,554 versus 1,258).

The median age of men and boys accused of crime overall was the same in both rural and urban areas (35 years, each), while it was similar for women and girls accused (33 years versus 32 years).

When an accused person was identified, charges were much more likely to be laid or recommended in urban areas (86%) than in rural areas (59%) of Newfoundland and Labrador (Table 7). Conversely, incidents were more likely to be cleared otherwise in rural areas than in urban areas (41% versus 14%), when an accused person was identified but no charges were laid or recommended.

Incidents involving youth accused (aged 12 to 17 years) were more likely to be cleared otherwise in both rural and urban areas (52% of cleared incidents in rural areas and 33% of cleared incidents in urban areas) than incidents involving adult accused (39% of cleared incidents in rural areas and 12% of cleared incidents in urban areas).

Tables

Table 1 Demographic and household characteristics, by rural or urban area and North or South region, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2021

Table 2 Police-reported crime, by selected violation, rural or urban area and North or South region, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2023

Table 3 Police-reported violent crime, by victim characteristic, rural or urban area and North or South region, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2023

Table 4 Police-reported violent crime, by incident characteristic, rural or urban area and North or South region, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2023

Table 5 Police-reported family violence and intimate partner violence, by victim characteristic, rural or urban area and North or South region, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2023

Table 6 Police-reported crime, by gender and age group of accused persons, rural or urban area and North or South region, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2023

Table 7 Police-reported crime, by age group of accused, incident clearance status, rural or urban area and North or South region, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2023