India recorded 58.85 lakh crimes in 2024, a decline of six per cent from 62.41 lakh cases in 2023, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Wednesday.
The crime rate, measured as cases registered per lakh population, also fell from 448.3 in 2023 to 418.9 in 2024, reflecting an overall dip in reported offences across the country.
Total crimes at 58.85 lakh; rate drops to 418.9
A notable decline was recorded in cases under the ‘Hurt’ category, which fell by 30.58 per cent, from over 6.36 lakh cases in 2023 to more than 4.41 lakh in 2024.
However, the report clarified that the sharp drop may be linked to legal changes introduced under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in 2023, which replaced the Indian Penal Code. Under the revised framework, certain offences were reclassified, with simple ‘hurt’ made a non-cognisable offence.
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Murder cases saw a marginal decline of 2.4 per cent, with 27,049 cases recorded in 2024. Disputes remained the leading motive behind such crimes, followed by personal enmity and gain.
Crimes against women at 4.41 lakh; SC, ST cases decline
Crimes against women declined by 1.5 per cent, with 4.41 lakh cases reported in 2024 compared to 4.48 lakh in the previous year. The crime rate per lakh women population also dropped to 64.6 from 66.2.
‘Cruelty by husband or relatives’ continued to be the most common offence in this category, followed by kidnapping, crimes against minors and assault with intent to outrage modesty.
Cases involving Scheduled Castes fell by 3.6 per cent to 55,698 in 2024 from 57,789 in 2023. Crimes against Scheduled Tribes registered a sharper decline of 23.1 per cent, dropping to 9,966 cases from 12,960 a year earlier.
The NCRB data points to a broader downward trend in crime across categories, although part of the decline is attributed to changes in legal definitions and classification of offences.
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