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United States

United States Crime Stats

Definitions

  • Age of criminal responsibility: The age at which a person is no longer excluded from criminal liability.  The lowest age is indicated for countries where there isn’t a single age limit, for example where different states have different regulations (such as the USA) or there is different limits for boy and girls (such as in Iran). The spectrum is specifically wide for the USA and Mexico (both 6-12 years). Several US states do not stipulate any minimal age for criminal responsibility at all. For further qualifications, exceptions and other notes, please refer to notes.
  • Crime levels: Level of crime. Based on 0-50 contributions for Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria and 82 more countries and 50-100 contributions for Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria and 24 more countries and over 100 contributions for Australia, Brazil, Canada and 17 more countries. The surveys were conducted by numbeo.com from July, 2011 to February, 2014. See this sample survey for the United States, respondents were asked "How serious you feel the level of crime is?". The higher the value, the more survey respondents believe it is high in their country.
  • Drugs > Annual cannabis use: Estimate of percentage of 15-64 year old population who use Cannabis.
  • Drugs > Opiates use: Annual prevalence.
  • Murder rate: Homicide rate per year per 100,000 inhabitants in various countries.
  • Police officers: Number of police officers per 100,000 population.
  • Rape rate: Number of rape incidents per 100,000 citizens in different countries. Figures do not take into account rape incidents that go unreported to the police.
  • Total crimes: Note: Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence.
  • Total crimes per 1000: Note: Crime statistics are often better indicators of prevalence of law enforcement and willingness to report crime, than actual prevalence. Figures expressed per thousand population for the same year.
  • Violent crime > Gun crime > Guns per 100 residents: Number of privately owned small firearms per 100 residents.
  • Violent crime > Intentional homicide rate: Homicides per 100’000 residents. Homicide is the death of a person purposefully inflicted by another person (it excludes suicides) outside of a state of war. Homicide is a broader category than murder, as it also includes manslaughter. The exact legal definition varies across countries, some of which include infanticide, assisted suicide, euthanasia and deaths caused by dangerous driving.
  • Violent crime > Murder rate: Intentional homicide, number and rate per 100,000 population.
  • Violent crime > Murder rate per million people: Intentional homicide, number and rate per 100,000 population. Figures expressed per million people for the same year.
  • Violent crime > Rapes: The number of recorded rapes. Large numbers of rapes go unreported. South Africa is estimated to have 500,000 rapes per year, Egypt 200,000, China 32,000 and the UK with 85,000 rapes per year.
  • Violent crime > Rapes per million people: The number of recorded rapes. Large numbers of rapes go unreported. South Africa is estimated to have 500,000 rapes per year, Egypt 200,000, China 32,000 and the UK with 85,000 rapes per year. Figures expressed per million people for the same year.
STAT AMOUNT DATE RANK HISTORY
Age of criminal responsibility 6 2014 58th out of 58
Crime levels 55.84 2014 30th out of 93
Drugs > Annual cannabis use 13.7% 2009 1st out of 8
Drugs > Opiates use 0.57% 2009 3rd out of 3
Murder rate 5 2009
Police officers 243.6 1995 27th out of 43
Rape rate 27.3 2010 9th out of 57
Total crimes 11.88 million 2002 1st out of 82
Total crimes per 1000 41.29 2002 22nd out of 81
Violent crime > Gun crime > Guns per 100 residents 88.8 2014 1st out of 170
Violent crime > Intentional homicide rate 4.7 2012 7th out of 14
Violent crime > Murder rate 12,996 2010 9th out of 86
Violent crime > Murder rate per million people 42.01 2010 43th out of 86
Violent crime > Rapes 84,767 2010 1st out of 57
Violent crime > Rapes per million people 274.04 2010 9th out of 57

SOURCES: Wikipedia: Defense of infancy (Ages of criminal responsibility by country); crime; https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/WDR2011/World_Drug_Report_2011_ebook.pdf, World Drug Report 2011, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), 2011, p. 217.; Wikipedia: List of countries by prevalence of opiates use ("World Drug Report 2011" . United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2011. "World Drug Report 2006" . United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2006. http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2009/WDR2009_eng_web.pdf); European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control International Statistics on Crime and Justice, 2011; UN Crime Stats; The Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention); The Eighth United Nations Survey on Crime Trends and the Operations of Criminal Justice Systems (2002) (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Centre for International Crime Prevention). Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; Annexe I of the Small Arms Survey 2007 ; Wikipedia: List of countries by intentional homicide rate by decade; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Source tables; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Source tables. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.; Statistics : Crime : Sexual Violence (UNODC) and Crime Statistics : Sexual Violence Against Children and Rape, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Statistics : Crime : Sexual Violence (UNODC) and Crime Statistics : Sexual Violence Against Children and Rape, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Population figures from World Bank: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects, (2) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), (3) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (4) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (5) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme, and (6) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database.

Citation

Did you know

United States Crime Profiles (Subcategories)

Drugs 4 Prisoners 5
Fear of crime 9 Punishment 6
Justice system 3 Suicide rates 7
Perceived problems 4 Violent crime 8
  • United States ranked first for prisoners amongst Christian countries in 2002.

1

Crime Stats can be easily misunderstood and misinterpreted. For example, to say that one country has more judges but another has more crime can mean that the country has different methods-or may be more open with reporting crime. Some governments don't report crime for political reasons, while others report those crimes that are known to police. There is a 'dark figure' of crime-those not officially reported-that may indicate there is much more crime than reports may indicate. Crime stats are only as good as those gathering and reporting them-garbage in-garbage out!

Posted on 20 Jan 2013

Tim MCJ

Tim MCJ

1

Please note that the United States has approximately 251,273,040 more people than the UK and only about 5,000,000 more crimes.

Posted on 15 Feb 2013

A Thought

A Thought

0

In response to Drew - The 'c' means 'approximately' or 'around'. It is used when the value stated is an estimate.

Posted on 16 May 2005

Edria Murray, Staff Editor

Edria Murray, Staff Editor

0

Per capita :

Adult Prosecuted : 1) Finland 31.68 per 1000 people
Assault Victims : 1) Saint Kitts and Nevis 3.0% (USA 10th)
Assault : 1) Montserrat 10.38 per 1000 people
Bribe Payers : 1) Sweden 8.3 (USA 9th)
Burglaries : 1) Australia 21.93 per 1000 people
Car Thief : 1) Australia 6.98 per 1000 people
Murders : 1) Colombia 0.62 per 1000 people
Rapes : 1) Australia 0.78 per 1000 people
Robbery : 1) Chile 6.99 per 1000 people
Murders with Firearms : 1) Colombia 0.51 per 1000 people
Total Crime Victims : 1st Australia 30.1% (USA 15th)
Freud : 1) Germany 10.86 per 1000 people

Posted on 03 Aug 2005

John

John

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