Homicides: 2014-2023
During the 10-year period under review, 51 wilful homicides (events) were registered by the Malta Police Force. A total of 57 persons were victims of these incidents. Two-thirds of the victims were males (66.7%) while a third were females. During this period, the years that saw the least number of homicides were 2021 and 2023 with 2 homicides occurring during each reference year. In contrast, the year which saw the highest annual incidence of homicides was 2017 with 9 occurrences during that year (Table 1, Chart 1). It is important to note that data on victims is based on the date of death or discovery, and the terms ‘wilful homicide’ and ‘homicide’ are used interchangeably.
Chart 1. Number of homicides and number of victims by sex: 2014-2023
Notes:
- Number of homicides refers to events for which the date of the homicide is known and registered with the Malta Police Force.
- Number of victims is based on the date of death or discovery of body.
The annual average number of homicides varies when analysing the 10-year period split into two main time periods: 2014-2018 and 2019-2023. Between 2014 and 2018 the annual average number of homicides stood at six, while during the period 2019-2023 the average number of homicides stood at four per year (Table 1).
Almost half of all victims were aged between 25 and 44 (49.1 per cent), while 19.3 per cent were between 45 and 59 years of age. About one in every five victims were over the age of 59. Five of the 57 victims, or 8.8 per cent, were under the age of 25 (Table 2, Chart 2).
Chart 2. Distribution of victims of wilful homicide by broad age group of victim: 2014-2023
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Almost 30 per cent of all victims were murdered in the Northern Harbour district (29.8 per cent) while 22.8 per cent were killed in the Southern Harbour district. 17.5 per cent and 14.0 per cent of the victims were killed in the Northern and the Southern Eastern districts, respectively. 8.8 per cent of the victims were killed in the Western district while 7.0 per cent of victims were murdered in the district of Gozo and Comino. When analysing homicide rates by district of event, the highest homicide rate was observed in the Southern Harbour district with a rate of 1.6 per 100,000 persons of the respective district. The lowest homicide rate was observed in the Western district with a rate of 0.8 homicides per 100,000 persons of the respective district (Table 3, Map 1 and 2).
Map 1. Total victims of wilful homicide by district of event: 2014-2023
Map 2. Homicide rate by district of event: 2014-2023
During the period under review, two-thirds of the victims were Maltese, while a third were of foreign citizenship. When analysing the 10-year period split into the two main time periods, between 2014 and 2018, 75.0 per cent of victims were Maltese while 25.0 per cent were of foreign citizenship. This distribution varied when compared to the 2019-2023 period with 56.0 per cent of victims being Maltese while 44.0 per cent were of foreign citizenship (Table 4, Chart 3).
45.6 per cent of victims were murdered with weapons such as sharp objects, blunt objects or another object used as a weapon, such as a vehicle (excluding firearms or explosives). More than a third of victims were killed by means of a firearm or explosive (38.6 per cent), while 12.3 per cent were attacked without a weapon or through other mechanisms including strangulation, suffocation, drowning, or through bodily force, such as sexual assault, among other types of mechanisms. For 3.5 per cent of victims, the mechanism of killing was undetermined (Table 5, Chart 4).
Chart 3. Distribution of wilful homicide victims by broad citizenship and reference period: 2014-2023
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Chart 4. Distribution of victims of wilful homicide by mechanism of killing: 2014-2023
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When looking at victims of wilful homicide during the 2014-2023 period, 42.1 per cent of males were allegedly killed by a person known to victim, excluding intimate partners or family members. 5.3 per cent of male victims were allegedly killed by an intimate partner or a family member, one in every five by a person who was not known to the victim, and almost one-third by an unknown perpetrator/s.
Regarding female victims of wilful homicide throughout the same period, close to half (47.4 per cent) were allegedly killed by an intimate partner and just over one-fifth by a family member. 10.5 per cent allegedly died at the hands of someone whom the victim knew, excluding intimate partners or family members, and 15.8 per cent by a person not known to the victim. The percentage of females allegedly killed by an unknown perpetrator/s stood at 5.3 per cent (Table 6).
Chart 5. Homicide rates - 3 year period moving average: 2014-2023
per 100,000 population
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Notes:
- The wilful homicide rate is calculated based on the 3-year average of the resident population as at 1st January per 100,000 population.
The 3-year period moving average is used to smoothen the time series with regards to year-on-year fluctuations due to the observed small counts of the phenomenon.
- Total homicide rate is calculated using the total number of homicides (events), while homicide rates by sex is calculated using the total number of victims by sex.
The total homicide rate was the lowest during the 2019-2021 period at 0.7 homicides per 100,000 population while the highest was during the 2016-2018 period at 1.4 homicides per 100,000 population. The homicide rate for males was the lowest during the 2021-2023 period at 1 male victim per 100,000 males in the population, while the highest rate stood at 2.1 male victims during the 2016-2018 period. The homicide rate for females was the lowest during the 2019-2021 and 2020-2022 periods with a rate of 0.5 female victims per 100,000 females in the population. The highest rate was attributed to the 2017-2019 and 2018-2020 periods with 1.1 female victims per 100,000 females in the population. The homicide rate is calculated using a 3-year average to smoothen the time series with regard to year-on-year fluctuations due to the small counts observed (Table 7, Chart 5).
Additional Tables
Tables
Methodological Notes
1. This news release presents an overview of wilful homicide data for the period 2014 – 2023. Data is collected from the Homicide and Drugs Squad at the Malta Police Force. Data is then processed by the NSO and compiled exclusively from administrative records maintained by the Malta Police Force.
2. Wilful homicide rate
The wilful homicide rate is considered to be the number of homicides (events) per 100,000 population as at 1st January of the reference year. The wilful homicide rate for males is considered to be the number of male victims of homicides per 100,000 male population as at 1st January of the reference year. Similarly, the wilful homicide rate for females is considered to be the number of female victims of homicides per 100,000 female population as at 1st January of the reference year.
For the purpose of smoothening year-on-year fluctuations, the wilful homicide rate is calculated on a 3-year average in order to adjust for fluctuations of the observed small counts. Refer to Resident population data.
3. Reference dates:
Date of homicide (event): Date when homicide took place.
Date of discovery: Date when body/bodies were found or when victim succumbed to injuries.
4. Comparability with international classifications:
- International Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes (ICCS)
The ICCS is an international statistical classification of criminal offences which is used for the recording, analysis and comparison of crime statistics. Section 01 of the ICCS refers to ‘Acts leading to death or intending to cause death’ which encompasses:
- intentional homicide (0101),
- attempted intentional homicide (0102),
- non-intentional homicide (0103),
- assisting or instigating suicide (0104),
- euthanasia (0105),
- illegal feticide (0106),
- unlawful killing associated with armed conflict (0107),
- other acts leading to death or intending to cause death (0109).
For the purpose of comparison to this news release, offences referred to correspond broadly to intentional homicide (0101) which is defined as ‘unlawful death inflicted upon a person with the intent to cause death or serious injury’.
For more information on definitions and concepts, refer to the ICCS.
- International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)
The ICD is an international statistical classification system which is used for the recording, analysis, and comparison of information on morbidity and mortality. In ICD, ‘External causes of morbidity or mortality’ refer to:
- accidental falls,
- transport accidents,
- accidental poisoning by drugs, medications, or other substances,
- assaults or intentional self-harm,
- firearm-related injuries,
- drowning and submersion,
- exposure to smoke, fire, or flames,
- adverse effects of medical treatment or surgical procedures,
- legal intervention,
- environmental factors.
For the purpose of analysing wilful homicide, this type of event is mainly attributable to the category of ‘Assault’ which is defined in ICD as “injuries inflicted by another person with intent to injure or kill, by any means”. Notwithstanding, discrepancies between ICD and reported victims of wilful homicide may exist due to more detailed descriptions of events related to criminal liability of perpetrators. Also, statistics related to deaths by cause are in line with the usual residence definition and only refer to deaths of usual residents. Therefore, deaths of persons deemed non resident on the basis of the usual residence definition are not included. Furthermore, death certificates issued are based on the actual date of death or the estimated date of death.
Refer to ICD for further information.
5. Definitions:
- Age of victim
Age of victim refers to the age of the victim at the time of death.
- Alleged victim-perpetrator relationship
The relationship between the victim and alleged perpetrator, can include either persons who are charged and are awaiting or undergoing trial, persons who have been convicted, or persons who are appealing a conviction. Categories of alleged victim-perpetrator relationship include:
- Intimate partner: Includes current spouse, former spouse, current intimate partner or former intimate partner. Such persons can be either cohabitating or non-cohabitating spouses, partners or boyfriend/girlfriend.
- Family member: Includes blood relatives, relatives by marriage or adoption, and persons living in the same household as the victim.
- Other alleged perpetrator known to victim: Can include friends, acquaintances, persons known through school or work, persons known through care or service such as doctors, nurses, public officials or clergy, or any other person known to the victim.
- Alleged perpetrator unknown to victim: Person allegedly perpetuating the offence is unknown to the victim.
- Relationship to alleged perpetrator is not known: The relationship between the alleged person perpetuating the offence and the victim is not established or the alleged perpetrator is unknown.
- Citizenship
The particular legal bond between an individual and his/her State acquired by birth or naturalisation, whether by declaration, option, marriage or other means according to national legislation. It corresponds to the country issuing the passport. For the purpose of this news release, persons are classified by broad groups of citizenship: Maltese and non-Maltese.
- District of event
The district of event refers to the broad district category corresponding to the locality where the event took place. Refer to Local Administrative Units which presents the geographical location of units within the national territory.
- Mechanism of killing
The process through which a person is killed. Categories of mechanisms of killing include:
- Firearms or explosives: Includes handgun discharge, rifle, shotgun and larger firearm discharge and other unspecified firearm discharge.
- Attack with another weapon: Includes sharp objects, blunt objects or any other object used as a weapon, such as a vehicle.
- Attack without a weapon/other mechanism: Among others can include hanging, strangulation, suffocation, drowning, pushing from a high place, bodily force such as sexual assault, assault through means of drugs or other chemical substances.
- Unspecified means: Mechanism of killing could not be identified.
- Victim
For the purpose of this news release, a victim is defined as a recorded person associated with an event of wilful homicides and considered to be an ‘injured party’. A victim of wilful homicide is declared as such once the person succumbs to injuries or the body is discovered.
- Wilful homicide
For the purpose of this news release, events of wilful homicide refer to cases classified as wilful homicide by the Malta Police Force. In such cases, alleged perpetrators can be charged with wilful homicide under Title VIII: Sub-title I of the Criminal Code, Cap. 9 of the Laws of Malta. In cases where the homicide date is not established, such as cases of persons found at sea, cases are included in the reporting if the death or discovery of the body took place within the reference period under review. For the purpose of this news release the terms ‘wilful homicide’ and ‘homicide’ are used interchangeably. A homicide incident is considered to be an event during which one or more individuals are killed unlawfully.
6. Crime counting rules
For the purpose of this News Release, an offence is classified as a wilful homicide based on the ‘principle offence rule’ which refers to the wilful homicide offence as the principle/gravest offence considered for that particular event/episode. In this manner, if more than one offence is associated to one event, this event is recorded based on the principle offence, i.e. wilful homicide. The principle offence refers to the offence which carries the greatest penalty on conviction. In the case of wilful homicide, this is always referred to as the principle offence.
7. Published figures may be subject to revision or review due to reasons mainly attributable to the investigative process.
8. The time period considered for the purpose of this news release refers to victims of wilful homicide recorded by the Malta Police Force between 2014 and 2023.
9. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
10. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
11. For further assistance send your request through our online request form.
Homicides: 2014-2023
- A total of 57 persons were found murdered between 2014 and 2023.
- Two-thirds of victims were males.
- Almost half of all victims were aged between 25 and 44 (49.1 per cent), while 19.3 per cent were between 45 and 59 years of age.
- The highest homicide rate during the 10 years under review was observed in the Southern Harbour district with a rate of 1.6 per 100,000 persons of the respective district, while the lowest homicide rate was observed in the Western district with a rate of 0.8 homicides per 100,000 persons.
- 45.6 per cent of victims were killed with weapons such as sharp objects, blunt objects or another object used as a weapon (excluding firearms or explosives).
