First-degree murders down 43% last year as crime severity index drops in Ontario

Ontario’s crime rate dropped last year and was well below the national average while severe, violent crimes were also down across the province.

The numbers come from the latest Statistics Canada crime severity index report and show a 5 per cent drop last year, the second annual decline in a row.

The crime severity index (CSI) measures both the volume of reported crimes relative to the population, and the “relative severity” of all crimes by assigning greater weight to more serious offences, StatsCan says.

The Canada-wide index stands at 75.01 after rising to 81.27 over the previous eight years, while in Ontario, the index is down to 57.2 – a drop of 6.2 per cent from 2024.

The police-reported crime rate per 100,000 people was 4,296 last year while the youth crime rate per 100,000 people was 2,142, down 3.7 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively, StatsCan says.

The data shows 744,912 “actual incidents” in 2025, or 698,533 incidents when not including traffic-related crimes.

The violent crime severity index in Ontario came down 8.7 per cent from 2024 to 74.9, while the non-violent crime severity index dipped 4.7 per cent annually to 50.6.

READ MORE: Crime rates and crime severity in Canada both fell in 2025

Murders were down last year across the province, with 76 first-degree killings in 2025 – a nearly 43 per cent drop from 133 in 2024. There were also 110 second-degree incidents, down from 132 in the previous year.

But not all types of violent crimes in Ontario saw reduced numbers last year.

While StatsCan says there were 954 level-3 or aggravated assaults in 2025 (down from 1,019 in 2024), level-2 assaults involving a weapon or bodily harm were up to 25,838 in 2025 from 25,617 in 2024. Level-1 assaults have been steadily increasing year-over-year, with 64,858 in 2025, 63,958 in 2024 and 60,616 in 2023.

Cases of hate-motivated mischief relating to property used by an identifiable group were down slightly last year to 198 from 200 in 2024,

When looking at the Canada-wide numbers, StatCan says the reduction in the CSI was driven by break-and-enter cases dropping for a third year in a row. Last year’s 11 per cent decline brought the rate of break-and-enter cases to 264 incidents per 100,000 people across Canada.

Motor vehicle theft was down in 2025 for the second year in a row following three consecutive years of increases. StatCan said the rate of car theft was nine per cent below 2015 levels and 64 per cent lower than the peak in 2023.