Crime in Russia - statistics & facts

Approximately 1.4 thousand crimes per 100 thousand population were recorded in Russia in 2021. Most criminal offenses in the country were of little gravity, while the share of especially grave crimes stood at approximately six percent. Gun ownership laws were tightened in Russia in June 2021, after the first out of the two school shootings that took place in the country in that year. Russia has one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe, at over 328 prisoners per 100 thousand population in 2021.

How has the crime situation in Russia changed since the 1990s?

After the 1990s, a period characterized by the widespread activity of criminal organizations, the level of crime in Russia significantly declined in the early 2000s, together with the homicide rate. Over the past two decades, the number of recorded murder offenses and attempted murders fell by approximately 77 percent. Another indicator of the improvement was a steady prison population decrease. The incarceration rate went down by over 290 prisoners per 100 thousand inhabitants between 2008 and 2021.

Economic crime in Russia

Economic crimes like theft and fraud are the most common categories of crime in Russia. Modern types of such offenses are committed through unauthorized bank card transactions via the internet and mobile devices. Furthermore, corruption represents one of the major problems in the society. Russia's corruption perceptions index remained approximately the same over the past decade, while the number of registered bribery cases has increased in recent years.

Domestic violence in Russia

In today's Russia, homicides, crimes causing intentional serious harm to health, and rape combined account for 1.4 percent of total registered offenses. Civil society groups pay special attention to the problem of gender-based violence, as domestic abuse and sexual harassment are found to be among the main issues faced by women and girls in Russia. In 2016 and the beginning of 2017, the country decriminalized some forms of family violence, which led to a decline in the number of such offenses in the official statistics. Female spouses are the most common victims of crimes against family members in Russia. At the same time, the number of violent crimes committed against sons and daughters has been on the rise since 2017.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 2, 2023

Key insights

Region with the most crimes
Moscow
Most common type of crime
Theft
Prison population per 100,000 people
328.1
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Crime rate in Russia from 1995 to 2021 (per 100,000 population)

Crime & Law Enforcement

Crime rate in Russia 1995-2021

Homicide rate in Russia from 1990 to 2021 (per 100,000 population)

Violent Crime

Homicide rate in Russia 1990-2021

Corruption perceptions index (CPI) score in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2022, by country

Politics & Government

Corruption perceptions index of CIS countries in 2022

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