Crime in Wales: statistics, rates and trends
306,958 crimes were recorded in Wales in the 12 months to August 2026, 96.3 per 1,000 residents. That is close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and almost unchanged on the year before.
Crime map
Violence and sexual offences (119,332), anti-social behaviour (49,227) and public order (29,823) made up 65% of all recorded crime. Its crime rate ranks 2nd of the 2 countries covered by this site (1 = highest), in the lowest tenth.
| Measure | Wales | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Crimes, the 12 months to August 2026 | 306,958 | 5,618,064 |
| Crimes per 1,000 residents | 96.3 | 96.7 |
| Change on previous 12 months | +1% | -1% |
| Population | 3,186,581 | 58,127,638 |
Recorded crime in Wales peaked in the year to August 2020 (327,046 crimes) and was lowest in the year to August 2024 (300,851). Between the years to August 2018 and 2026 it was almost unchanged, while across England and Wales it fell 4%.
| Period | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year to August 2026 | 306,958 | 96.3 | 96.7 |
| Year to August 2025 | 304,384 | 95.5 | 97.2 |
| Year to August 2024 | 300,851 | 94.4 | 97.9 |
| Year to August 2023 | 306,690 | 96.2 | n/a |
| Year to August 2022 | 312,597 | 98.1 | 102.0 |
| Year to August 2021 | 319,847 | 100.4 | 101.4 |
| Year to August 2020 | 327,046 | 102.6 | 102.7 |
| Year to August 2019 | 312,796 | 98.2 | 101.7 |
| Year to August 2018 | 307,028 | 96.4 | 100.8 |
Month by month
| Month | Crimes |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 29,949 |
| July 2026 | 30,022 |
| June 2026 | 26,753 |
| May 2026 | 28,770 |
| April 2026 | 26,953 |
| March 2026 | 25,310 |
| February 2026 | 21,983 |
| January 2026 | 22,805 |
| December 2025 | 22,064 |
| November 2025 | 24,050 |
| October 2025 | 25,087 |
| September 2025 | 23,212 |
Compared with England and Wales, Wales recorded notably more public order (40% above the national rate), and notably less theft from the person (79% below) and robbery (58% below). On the year before, robbery rose from 1,320 to 1,838.
| Crime type | Crimes | Per 1,000 | England and Wales per 1,000 | Change on year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 119,332 | 37.4 | 34.2 | +1% |
| Anti-social behaviour | 49,227 | 15.4 | 15.4 | +3% |
| Public order | 29,823 | 9.4 | 6.7 | +3% |
| Criminal damage and arson | 25,923 | 8.1 | 6.7 | -2% |
| Shoplifting | 23,674 | 7.4 | 8.5 | +3% |
| Other theft | 15,732 | 4.9 | 6.4 | -5% |
| Vehicle crime | 11,333 | 3.6 | 5.0 | +9% |
| Burglary | 8,696 | 2.7 | 3.6 | -1% |
| Drugs | 8,290 | 2.6 | 3.3 | -11% |
| Other crime | 7,342 | 2.3 | 2.1 | -3% |
| Possession of weapons | 2,923 | 0.9 | 1.0 | +15% |
| Robbery | 1,838 | 0.6 | 1.4 | +39% |
| Bicycle theft | 1,692 | 0.5 | 0.8 | -11% |
| Theft from the person | 1,133 | 0.4 | 1.7 | -11% |
What each category covers: crime categories.
Every one of the 1 nearest countries has a higher crime rate than Wales.
| Country | Crimes | Per 1,000 | Rate vs Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 5,311,106 | 96.7 | 0% |
Of the 22 areas within Wales, Blaenau Gwent had the highest crime rate (148.5 per 1,000) and Vale of Glamorgan the lowest (73.1).
| Area | Type | Population | Crimes | Per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | District | 67,873 | 10,078 | 148.5 |
| Newport | District | 167,899 | 23,166 | 138.0 |
| Torfaen | District | 94,119 | 11,756 | 124.9 |
| Cardiff | District | 383,919 | 42,811 | 111.5 |
| Denbighshire | District | 98,202 | 10,876 | 110.8 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | District | 58,972 | 6,454 | 109.4 |
| Caerphilly | District | 176,865 | 18,886 | 106.8 |
| Conwy | District | 114,891 | 12,177 | 106.0 |
| Wrexham | District | 138,245 | 13,929 | 100.8 |
| Ceredigion | District | 72,599 | 6,612 | 91.1 |
| Pembrokeshire | District | 125,761 | 11,335 | 90.1 |
| Gwynedd | District | 120,813 | 10,688 | 88.5 |
| Swansea | District | 251,304 | 21,732 | 86.5 |
| Carmarthenshire | District | 190,800 | 16,483 | 86.4 |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | District | 242,844 | 20,779 | 85.6 |
| Bridgend | District | 147,530 | 12,487 | 84.6 |
| Neath Port Talbot | District | 143,249 | 11,824 | 82.5 |
| Monmouthshire | District | 94,930 | 7,626 | 80.3 |
| Flintshire | District | 155,867 | 11,941 | 76.6 |
| Powys | District | 135,059 | 10,323 | 76.4 |
| Isle of Anglesey | District | 69,097 | 5,069 | 73.4 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | District | 135,743 | 9,926 | 73.1 |
Of the 257,731 crimes in Wales with a recorded outcome, 26% ended with the investigation complete and no suspect identified, against 35% across England and Wales; 5.9% were awaiting a court outcome (England and Wales: 5.2%). The 49,227 anti-social behaviour reports have no outcome and are left out.
| Outcome | Crimes | Share | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unable to prosecute suspect | 97,687 | 37.9% | 34.5% |
| Investigation complete; no suspect identified | 65,982 | 25.6% | 35.3% |
| Under investigation | 42,833 | 16.6% | 11.5% |
| Awaiting court outcome | 15,118 | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Status update unavailable | 13,341 | 5.2% | 4.7% |
| Court result unavailable | 7,453 | 2.9% | 2.5% |
| Local resolution | 7,364 | 2.9% | 3.1% |
| Action to be taken by another organisation | 2,856 | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| Further investigation is not in the public interest | 2,067 | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| Formal action is not in the public interest | 1,126 | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Offender given a caution | 1,071 | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Further action is not in the public interest | 748 | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Wales has an estimated population of 3,186,581 (ONS, mid-2024). On the Census 2021 measures below it is close to England and Wales as a whole. On the Wales WIMD 2025, the small areas (LSOAs) that make up Wales average decile 5.5 (1 = most deprived), close to the middle.
| Measure | Wales | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 0 to 15 | 17.1% | 18.3% |
| Aged 65 and over | 21.7% | 18.9% |
| Residents 16+ in work | 53.5% | 57.2% |
| Residents 16+ unemployed | 3.1% | 3.4% |
| Residents 16+ retired | 24.7% | 21.6% |
| Residents 16+ who are students | 7.9% | 7.9% |
| Residents 16+ with Level 4 qualifications or above (degree, HND and similar) | 31.5% | 33.8% |
| Residents 16+ with no qualifications | 19.9% | 18.2% |
| Households with no car or van | 19.4% | 23.3% |
| Homes owned outright or with a mortgage | 66.4% | 62.5% |
| Social rented homes | 16.5% | 17.1% |
| Private rented homes | 17.0% | 20.3% |
| Average deprivation decile (1 = most deprived, 10 = least) | 5.5 | 5.5 (Wales) |
| Residents in the most deprived 10% of areas | 9.5% | 9.5% (Wales) |
Is Wales a safe place to live?
Wales recorded 96.3 crimes per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to August 2026, close to the England and Wales rate of 96.7, and ranks 2nd of the 2 countries on this site by crime rate (1 = highest). The categories most above the national rate were public order.
What is the most common crime in Wales?
Violence and sexual offences was the most common category, with 119,332 reports in the 12 months to August 2026, followed by anti-social behaviour (49,227).
Is crime in Wales going up or down?
Recorded crime in Wales was almost unchanged on the year before: 306,958 crimes in the 12 months to August 2026 against 304,384 in the previous 12 months.
What is the population of Wales?
About 3,186,581 people (ONS mid-2024 estimate), 22% of them aged 65 or over (England and Wales: 19%).
Police-recorded crime from data.police.uk (September 2017 to August 2026), ONS population estimates and Census 2021. Definitions and limitations: methodology.