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Press release

Homicide victims

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In 2017, 357 persons were murdered in Italy (234 males and 123 females), equal to 0.59 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, with 0.79 homicides per 100,000 men and 0.40 per 100,000 women.

In 2016, the Italian homicide rate was lower than the average EU rate (respectively 0.7 and 1.0 per 100,000 inhabitants). Latvia and Lithuania were the countries with the highest values in Europe (5.6 and 4.9 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants).

Homicides decreased strongly since the nineties, especially those with male victims: in 1990 there was one woman killed for 5 men, now the proportion is of 1 woman for 2 men. This is due to the decreasing of mafia and organized crime homicides too (generally men are killed by mafia).

In 2017 organized crime homicides were the 12.6% of the total (9.1% in 2013-2017 and 33.1% between 1988 and 1992). Between 1983 e 2017, 95.5% of organized crime homicides occurred in four southern regions (Campania, Sicilia, Calabria e Puglia).

In 2015-2017 the homicide rate is higher in the South (1.01 per 100,000 inhabitants) compared with the Italian average (0.67), followed by the Islands (0.86 per 100,000).

In 2015-2017 murders of men occurred mainly in the South (1.71 per 100,000 inhabitants) and in the Islands (1.37). Murders of women were not geographically characterized. Nevertheless, the highest value was recorded in the Centre (0.51 homicides per 100,000) and the lowest in the South (0.37). Campania and Calabria, however, showed significant increases compared to the previous three years (2012-2014).

For information

Maria Giuseppina Muratore
phone +39 06 4673.7453
muratore@istat.it

Franco Turetta
phone +39 06 4673.7221
turetta@istat.it

Reference period: Year 2017

Date of Issue: 15 November 2018

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