KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s crime rate surged by 11.1% in 2024, with 58,255 cases reported, compared to 52,444 in 2023, according to the latest figures from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The Crime Statistics Malaysia 2025 report revealed that property crimes remained the most common, rising by 12.4% to 47,188 cases. Assault-related crimes also saw an increase, up by 5.9% to 11,067 cases, Bernama reported.
“Despite the overall rise, the report highlighted a positive development in homicide cases, with intentional homicides declining by 9.5% to 237 cases, while non-intentional homicides remained steady at two cases,” the report stated.
“Kidnapping incidents also showed a slight reduction, with 17 cases reported in 2024, of which 11 involved children,” it added.
In terms of sexual crimes, the report presented a mixed picture. Rape cases increased by 12.1%, reaching 1,899 cases. Notably, rapes without force surged by 29.3%, while rapes involving force declined by 15.3%, indicating potential shifts in both reporting and crime patterns.
Robbery cases decreased by 6.8%, totalling 4,276 incidents. The majority of these were robberies involving individuals (41.7%), followed by other forms of robbery (38.2%), incidents targeting establishments or institutions (13.5%), and vehicle-related robberies (6.7%).
Meanwhile, cases of house break-ins and thefts slightly dropped by 1.8%, with 77.6% of these offences occurring during the night.
Drug-related crimes also saw a rise, with supply and possession cases increasing by 10.6%, totalling 81,090 cases. Drug supply cases rose by 4.6%, while possession cases spiked by 12.7%, reflecting intensified enforcement and possibly increased substance use.
Bribery-related arrests surged by 24.6%, with 764 individuals detained. The report noted that cases involving the giving of bribes rose sharply by 51.2%, while those involving the accepting of bribes increased by 20.3%, underlining ongoing efforts to tackle corruption.
Economic crimes also saw an uptick, with 2,243 cases of misappropriation of controlled goods recorded, a 19.1% increase from the previous year. Diesel was the most commonly misappropriated commodity, comprising 30% of such offences, followed by petrol (26.7%), cooking oil (19.8%), sugar (10.1%), liquefied petroleum gas (9.1%), and wheat flour (4.4%).
Health and safety violations at the workplace showed the steepest rise, jumping by 71.1% to 296 cases. The manufacturing sector accounted for the majority of these incidents (57.4%), followed by construction (27.4%) and business services (8.1%).
Crimes related to animal welfare remained low, with only 12 cases of cruelty reported, while sea robbery continued to be rare, with no cases reported in 2024 compared to a single incident in 2023.
In terms of correctional statistics, the number of convicted prisoners increased by 28.4%, totalling 128,916 individuals. Male inmates made up 90.9% of the prison population, while female prisoners accounted for 9.1%. – October 16, 2025