Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Crime in Australia - statistics & facts
Australia is generally considered one of the safest countries globally. In 2024, it made it into the top 20 most peaceful countries in the world, ranking alongside Germany and the Netherlands. Crime is still considered one of the most important issues facing the country, with many people imprisoned for serious crimes, in particular sexual assault, violent crimes, and theft. Another concerning topic is the unproportionally high incarceration of Indigenous people in the country, which has increased 12 times faster than the rate for non-Indigenous people since 1989.
With many in Australia seeing crime in the country as an increasingly important issue, it remains to be seen whether the incoming government, alongside state and federal police forces, will be able to effectively counter serious crime in the nation. In addition, it is vitally important that the issue of high Indigenous incarceration rates and Indigenous deaths in custody be acted on in a timely manner.
Serious crime in Australia
While there are a host of petty crimes in Australia, such as shoplifting or traffic offences, one of the most prevalent serious crimes in Australia is sexual assault, with the largest proportion of victims being female. Sexual assault covers any sexual crime including rape, sexual harassment, and indecent exposure. The number of perpetrators of these crimes has been climbing steadily in recent years, with many people imprisoned for sexual assault in 2024. One serious crime that has seen a decline recently is physical assault, when a person uses physical violence and causes injury to another person’s body, with the number of people incarcerated for this crime rising substantially over the past decade.Indigenous Australians in the prison system
The prison population in Australia has been slowly increasing over the last few years, with around 44 thousand people serving a prison sentence in 2024. The incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women is exponentially higher than that of non-indigenous Australians. In addition to the increase of incarceration rates of Indigenous Australians over the past few years, there has also been a dramatic rise of Indigenous deaths in custody. This is in spite of a Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, which was launched in 1991 by the Australian government to study the underlying issues that lead to deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people in custody.With many in Australia seeing crime in the country as an increasingly important issue, it remains to be seen whether the incoming government, alongside state and federal police forces, will be able to effectively counter serious crime in the nation. In addition, it is vitally important that the issue of high Indigenous incarceration rates and Indigenous deaths in custody be acted on in a timely manner.
