Most crime rates drop in 2024 but murders and sexual offences rise  

CSO figures show an increase in motor theft, with 7,623 offence reported, up 4% on 2023 — making it the worst year for motor theft in Ireland in more than a decade.  File picture: iStock

A large number of categories of serious crime fell in Ireland in 2024 — but sexual crimes, murders and threats to kill increased.

Figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Wednesday showed the rate of crime for the country last year.

In total, there were 38 murders, an increase of three on the figures for 2023.

Sexual crimes increased by 8% to 3,709.

Recorded Homicide, Robbery, and Drug crimes fall in 2024https://t.co/lpbCvK62zn#CSOIreland #Ireland #Crime #RecordedCrime #CrimeStatistics #CrimeStats pic.twitter.com/Cn8qYsgjBP

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) March 26, 2025

Among those figures was an increase in the number of rapes reported to gardaí to 964.

While burglary and related offences increased by 2% to 9,744, there has been a long-term fall in the numbers since highs of 10,886 cases in 2020.

Crimes involving weapons and explosive offences rose too, in particular, the crime of ‘discharging a firearm’ increased by 29% to 108 cases.

There were 1,752 cases of arson reported to gardaí (up 14%), while there were more than 30,000 public order crimes in 2024.

In contrast, the figures showed the number of controlled drug offences has fallen in the last five years — from 23,120 in 2020 to 16,119 incidents in 2024.

Robbery, extortion and hijacking offences fell by 265 incidents compared to 2023, with the CSO saying this was driven mainly by a fall in incidents of blackmail or extortion (down 24%).

The figures also show an increase in motor theft, with 7,623 offence reported, up 4% on 2023 — making it the worst year for motor theft in Ireland in more than a decade. 

The CSO also provided a regional breakdown of figures, which showed the south of the country saw a rise in just five categories of serious crime on 2024.

These were: 

• Sexual offences and burglaries (both up 10%,) 
• Weapons and explosive offences (up 9%) 
• Theft (up 6%) 
• Dangerous or negligent acts (up 4%.)

By comparison, the number of homicides in the south fell by 41%, with robberies (down 18%), kidnapping (down 15%) and drug offences (down 10%) all seeing drops.