How much crime Jamaica has, where it happens and how fast it is falling: this page brings together police and Planning Institute of Jamaica figures on murders, shootings and other serious crimes, nationally and by police division, with the trend going back a decade.
Edition 2026, compiled 11 October 2026. Next scheduled update: October 2027. Full-year figures are for 2025, from the PIOJ’s Economic and Social Survey and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). Figures for 2026 run to 6 October 2026 and are provisional.
Jamaica crime stats at a glance
| Stat | Amount | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murders | 675 | 2025 | PIOJ |
| Murders | 1,141 | 2024 | JCF |
| Murders, highest of the past decade | 1,647 | 2017 | JCF |
| Murder rate per 100,000 people | 24.4 | 2025 | Jamaica Homes calculation |
| Shooting incidents | 696 (down 30.8%) | 2025 | PIOJ |
| Rapes reported | 325 (down 26.3%) | 2025 | PIOJ |
| Aggravated assaults | 465 (up 41.3%) | 2025 | PIOJ |
| Robberies | up 8.5% | 2025 | PIOJ |
| Break-ins | up 17.0% | 2025 | PIOJ |
| Victims of serious (Category 1) crimes | 5,859 | 2025 | PIOJ |
| People arrested for serious crimes | 1,528 | 2025 | PIOJ |
| People fatally shot by police | 311 | 2025 | INDECOM |
| Police divisions with fewer murders than 2024 | 17 of 19 | 2025 | JCF |
| Murders, 2026 to date | 407 (534 same period 2025) | to 6 Oct 2026 | Ministry of National Security |
| Murders, July to September | 123, lowest quarter in more than 30 years | 2026 | Ministry of National Security |
Murders by year
| Year | Murders | Change | Per 100,000 people (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,209 | – | 44.4 |
| 2016 | 1,354 | ▲ 12.0% | 49.6 |
| 2017 | 1,647 | ▲ 21.6% | 60.1 |
| 2018 | 1,289 | ▼ 21.7% | 46.9 |
| 2019 | 1,340 | ▲ 4.0% | 48.7 |
| 2020 | 1,333 | ▼ 0.5% | 48.3 |
| 2021 | 1,474 | ▲ 10.6% | 53.3 |
| 2022 | 1,508 | ▲ 2.3% | 54.4 |
| 2023 | 1,393 | ▼ 7.6% | 50.3 |
| 2024 | 1,141 | ▼ 18.1% | 41.3 |
| 2025 | 675 | ▼ 40.8% | 24.4 |
After the 2017 peak of 1,647, murders climbed back to 1,508 in 2022, then fell three years in a row, collapsing in 2025. The 2025 total is the lowest in more than 30 years, below even 1994, when about 690 people were killed, and 2003 was the last year before 2025 with fewer than 1,000 murders. Jamaica’s rate is still several times the world average of about 6 per 100,000.
Annual totals for 2015 to 2024 are JCF figures as published by The Gleaner, 30 December 2025. The 2025 total is the PIOJ figure; the JCF and the Minister of National Security have given 673 to 674, as late reports are reclassified. Rates calculated by Jamaica Homes using STATIN census counts and PIOJ population estimates; years between censuses are interpolated, so rates are approximate.
Serious crimes, 2025
The police group the most serious offences as Category 1 crimes: murder, shooting, aggravated assault, rape, robbery, break-in and larceny. In 2025 the violent crimes fell sharply, while property crimes rose.
| Crime | 2025 | Change on 2024 | Victims 2025 | Arrests 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | 675 | ▼ 41.0% | – | 481 |
| Shooting | 696 | ▼ 30.8% | 1,286 | 395 |
| Rape | 325 | ▼ 26.3% | – | – |
| Aggravated assault | 465 | ▲ 41.3% | – | 172 |
| Robbery | – | ▲ 8.5% | 899 | 231 |
| Break-in | – | ▲ 17.0% | 1,195 | – |
| Larceny | – | – | 983 | – |
| All Category 1 | – | – | 5,859 | 1,528 |
Source: PIOJ, Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2025, as reported by the Jamaica Observer, 25 July 2026. A dash means the figure was not published in the summary.
Where crime happens
Share of serious crimes by parish, 2025
| Parish | Share of Category 1 incidents | Victims | Arrests |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Andrew | 19.3% | 1,263 | 297 |
| St Catherine | 16.0% | 1,041 | 197 |
| Kingston | 9.7% | 637 | 175 |
| These three combined | 45.0% | 50.2% of all victims | – |
The biggest increases in serious crime were in Portland (up 27.5%) and Manchester (up 12.0%). The biggest falls were in Hanover (down 36.6%) and Westmoreland (down 36.0%). Source: PIOJ, Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2025, via the Jamaica Observer.
Police divisions with the most murders, 2025
| Division | Murders, 1 Jan to 20 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|
| St Andrew South | 74 |
| St Catherine North | 63 |
| St Ann | 60 |
| St James | 52 |
| St Catherine South | 50 |
Jamaica has 19 police divisions. In 2025, 17 recorded fewer murders than in 2024; only St Ann (up 18%) and St Thomas (up 5%) recorded more. The 1,136 murders in the same period of 2024 fell to 649 by 20 December. Source: JCF, reported by The Gleaner, 22 and 30 December 2025. The JCF does not publish a full division table online; we will add one when it is released.
Police divisions in 2026
| Division | Murders to 31 May 2026 | Change on 2025 | Murders to 20 June 2026 | Same period 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St James | 30 | ▲ 36% | 35 | 26 |
| St Andrew South | 21 | ▼ 48% | 22 | – |
| Clarendon | 18 | ▲ 6% | – | – |
| St Andrew Central | 18 | ▲ 13% | – | – |
| St Ann | 15 | ▼ 21% | – | – |
| Kingston Eastern | 15 | ▲ 50% | – | – |
| Westmoreland | – | – | 13 | 22 |
| Hanover | – | – | 10 | 7 |
| Trelawny | – | – | 4 | 6 |
| Portland | 2 (fewest) | – | – | – |
St James has had the most murders of any division in 2026. Manchester’s murders were up 180% at the start of May (14 against 5), and St Catherine North reported its lowest murder count since the division was created in 1996. Sources: JCF, reported by The Gleaner, 4 May, 1 June, 24 June and 21 August 2026.
The 19 police divisions
| Parish | Police divisions |
|---|---|
| Kingston | Kingston Central, Kingston Eastern, Kingston Western |
| St Andrew | St Andrew Central, St Andrew North, St Andrew South |
| St Catherine | St Catherine North, St Catherine South |
| Every other parish | One division each: St Thomas, Portland, St Mary, St Ann, Trelawny, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon |
Crime in 2026 so far
| Measure | 2026 | Same period 2025 | Change | As at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murders | 407 | 534 | ▼ 23.8% | 6 Oct 2026 |
| Murders | 221 | 288 | ▼ 23.3% | 31 May 2026 |
| Shootings | – | – | ▼ 31% | 31 May 2026 |
| Robberies | – | – | ▼ 25% | 31 May 2026 |
| Rape | – | – | ▼ 15% | 31 May 2026 |
| Break-ins | – | – | ▼ 11% | 31 May 2026 |
| Major crimes overall | – | – | ▼ about 20% | 31 May 2026 |
| People fatally shot by police | at least 231 | – | – | early Oct 2026 |
Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang told Parliament that July to September 2026, with 123 murders, was the lowest quarter in more than three decades, and that September’s 36 murders was the lowest monthly total in more than 30 years. Sources: The Gleaner, 1 June and 7 October 2026; Jamaica Observer, 7 October 2026.
Police killings
As murders have fallen, killings by the police have risen. INDECOM, the independent body that investigates the security forces, recorded 311 police fatal shootings in 2025, up 65% from 189 in 2024, and more than 230 in 2026 by early October. The Minister of National Security says fewer murders will in time mean fewer police shootings, and has accepted that one or two incidents may be questionable; INDECOM has said it is troubled by the rise.
| Year | People fatally shot by police | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 189 | INDECOM |
| 2025 | 311 | INDECOM |
| 2026 to early October | at least 231 | Ministry of National Security |
What changed this year
- A historic fall. Murders fell 41% in 2025 to the lowest level in more than 30 years, and kept falling in 2026, down another 24% by October.
- Violence down, property crime up. Shootings and rapes fell sharply in 2025 while robberies and break-ins rose, and aggravated assaults were up 41%.
- The west is now the hot spot. St James has led the country in murders in 2026, while St Andrew South, the worst division in 2025, is down by almost half.
- More police killings. Police fatal shootings rose 65% in 2025.
How this page is updated
Jamaica Homes refreshes this page every October. We use the PIOJ’s Economic and Social Survey for full-year figures, JCF statistics for divisions and the current year, and INDECOM for killings by the security forces. Police figures change as cases are reclassified, so totals can differ slightly between sources; we say which source each figure comes from.
| Edition | Main changes |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | First edition: murders 2015–2025, Category 1 crimes 2025, parish shares, divisions 2025 and 2026, police killings. |
Sources: Planning Institute of Jamaica, Economic and Social Survey Jamaica 2025 (via Jamaica Observer, 25 July 2026); Jamaica Constabulary Force statistics as reported by The Gleaner (22 and 30 December 2025; 4 May, 1 June, 24 June, 21 August and 7 October 2026); Jamaica Observer (7 October 2026); INDECOM (via The Gleaner, 24 November 2025 and 20 January 2026); STATIN census 2011 and 2022; PIOJ population estimates.