Crime Victimisation, Australia

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National and state/territory crime rates for assault, threat, robbery, break-in/burglary, theft/stealing, property damage, and police reporting rates.

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Reference period
2019-20 financial year
Released
18/02/2021
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Release date and time
18/02/2021 11:30am AEDT

Key statistics

In the last 12 months:  

  • 467,800 persons (2.3%) experienced physical assault
  • 492,900 persons (2.4%) experienced face-to-face threatened assault
  • 238,100 households (2.4%) experienced a break-in
  • 448,800 households (4.6%) experienced malicious property damage

The statistics discussed in the national commentary refer to experiences which occurred in the 12 months prior to interview (conducted between July 2019 and June 2020), referred to as the 2019-20 reference period.

Experiences of crime victimisation during the COVID-19 pandemic are unlikely to feature prominently in the 2019-20 survey results, as the majority of the information was collected prior to March 2020.

All statistics referred to throughout the commentary are available from the data downloads. Only data with a relative standard error (RSE) of less than 25% are referred to in the text of this publication, and any differences between population groups or survey periods mentioned in the commentary are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (refer to Methodology for more information).

Personal crime summary

Victimisation rate

An estimated 4.7% of persons aged 15 years and over (939,200) experienced one or more selected personal crimes in the 2019-20 reference period, including:

  • 2.3% (467,800) who experienced physical assault
  • 2.4% (492,900) who experienced face-to-face threatened assault
  • 0.9% (180,000) who experienced non face-to-face threatened assault
  • 0.3% (69,100) who experienced robbery
  • 0.3% (62,700) who experienced sexual assault (persons aged 18 years and over)

Between 2008-09 and 2019-20 there was a decrease in the victimisation rate for the following personal crimes:

  • physical assault (3.1% to 2.3%)
  • face-to-face threatened assault (3.9% to 2.4%)
  • non face-to-face threatened assault (1.2% to 0.9%)
  • robbery (0.6% to 0.3%) 

The victimisation rate for sexual assault (for persons aged 18 years and over) in 2019-20 (0.3%) was the same as the rate in 2008-09 (0.3%).

  1. Victimisation rate refers to the total number of persons aged 15 years and over who experienced a crime type, expressed as a percentage of all persons aged 15 years and over (18 years and over for sexual assault).
  2. Survey error should be considered when analysing changes over time.

For more information, refer to Methodology.

Police reporting

Of those who experienced a personal crime in the 2019-20 reference period, the following reported the most recent incident to the police: 

  • 52% (242,000) for physical assault
  • 36% (179,600) for face-to-face threatened assault
  • 24% (43,200) for non face-to-face threatened assault
  • 64% (44,100) for robbery
  • 30% (18,900) for sexual assault

Household crime summary

Victimisation rate

An estimated 10.4% of households (1,017,200) experienced one or more selected household crimes in the 2019-20 reference period, including:

  • 2.4% (238,100) that experienced break-in
  • 1.9% (185,800) that experienced attempted break-in
  • 0.6% (62,800) that experienced motor vehicle theft
  • 2.7% (260,100) that experienced theft from a motor vehicle
  • 4.6% (448,800) that experienced malicious property damage
  • 2.4% (229,900) that experienced other theft

Between 2008-09 and 2019-20 there was a decrease in the victimisation rate for all selected household crimes, including:

  • break-in (3.3% to 2.4%)
  • attempted break-in (3.1% to 1.9%)
  • motor vehicle theft (1.1% to 0.6%)
  • theft from a motor vehicle (4.5% to 2.7%)
  • malicious property damage (11.1% to 4.6%)
  • other theft (4.4% to 2.4%)
  1. Victimisation rate refers to the total number of households that experienced a crime type, expressed as a percentage of all households.
  2. Survey error should be considered when analysing changes over time.

For more information, refer to Methodology.

Police reporting

Of those which experienced a household crime in the 2019-20 reference period, the following reported the most recent incident to the police:

  • 74% (175,000) for break-in
  • 40% (74,000) for attempted break-in
  • 87% (54,400) for motor vehicle theft
  • 53% (136,900) for theft from a motor vehicle
  • 54% (240,500) for malicious property damage
  • 37% (84,600) for other theft

Physical assault

An estimated 2.3% of persons (467,800) experienced physical assault, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (2.4%). Both men and women experienced physical assault at the same rate (2.3% for both).

The following groups were more likely to experience physical assault:

  • persons aged 15 to 24 (3.7%) compared with persons in all other age categories (for example, 0.9% for persons aged 65 years and over and 2.5% for those aged 25 to 44 years)
  • persons living outside of capital cities (2.9%) compared with persons living in capital cities (2.0%)
  • persons living in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (3.6%) compared with persons living in the highest quintile (1.6%)

Multiple victimisation

Of those who experienced physical assault:

  • 46% (215,300) experienced a single incident
  • 22% (101,200) experienced two incidents
  • 30% (140,000) experienced three or more incidents 

Women who experienced physical assault (36%) were more likely than men who experienced physical assault (24%) to have experienced three or more incidents.

Police reporting

An estimated 52% of persons (242,000) who experienced physical assault reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (53%). The reporting rate was similar for men (50%) and women (53%).

For men, common reasons for not reporting to police include:

  • thinking that the police would be unwilling or unable to do anything (15% or 33,500)
  • feeling it was too trivial or unimportant (15% or 33,300)

For women, common reasons for not reporting to police include:

  • telling somebody else instead (11% or 26,000)
  • feeling it was too trivial or unimportant (9.2% or 22,100)

Other characteristics of the most recent incident

For men who experienced physical assault:

  • the perpetrator was most commonly a male (78% or 175,400)
  • the perpetrator was a stranger in 53% of incidents (119,800)
  • common locations where the incident occurred included work (23% or 52,100), in the man’s home (23% or 50,900), and in the street or other open land (15% or 34,300)

For women who experienced physical assault:

  • the perpetrator was most commonly a male (71% or 171,800)
  • the perpetrator was more commonly someone known to the woman (76% or 182,200) than a stranger (24% or 57,800)
  • the known perpetrator was most frequently an intimate partner (28% or 68,500)
  • the location was most frequently the woman’s home (46% or 110,300)

Approximately 61% of men and 52% of women aged 18 years and over who experienced physical assault believed that alcohol or another substance contributed to the most recent incident.

Face-to-face threatened assault

An estimated 2.4% of persons (492,900) experienced face-to-face threatened assault, which was lower than the rate in 2018-19 (2.8%). Both men (2.6%) and women (2.3%) experienced face-to-face threatened assault at a similar rate.

The following groups were more likely to experience face-to-face threatened assault:

  • persons living outside of capital cities (2.8%) compared with persons living in capital cities (2.3%)
  • persons living in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (3.0%) compared with persons living in the highest quintile (1.8%)

Multiple victimisation

Of those who experienced face-to-face threatened assault:

  • 39% (193,900) experienced a single incident
  • 21% (103,900) experienced two incidents
  • 38% (185,200) experienced three or more incidents

Women who experienced face-to-face threatened assault (43%) were more likely than men who experienced face-to-face threatened assault (33%) to have experienced three or more incidents.

Police reporting

Approximately 36% of persons (179,600) who experienced face-to-face threatened assault reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (35%). Women were more likely than men to report the incident to police (40% compared with 33%).

Believing that the incident was too trivial or unimportant was the most common reason given by both men (26% or 68,100) and women (17% or 40,200) for not reporting face-to-face threatened assault to police.

Other characteristics of the most recent incident

For men who experienced face-to-face threatened assault:

  • the perpetrator was most commonly a male (79% or 203,500)
  • the perpetrator was a stranger in 52% of incidents (135,400)
  • the known perpetrator was most frequently a professional relationship (10% or 26,000)
  • the incident most commonly occurred at work (31% or 81,200)

For women who experienced face-to-face threatened assault:

  • the perpetrator was most commonly a male (63% or 148,600)
  • the perpetrator was more likely a known person (67% or 157,500) than a stranger (35% or 82,400)
  • the known perpetrator was most frequently a family member (14% or 32,200), an intimate partner (13% or 31,700) or a professional relationship (13% or 31,600)
  • the incident most commonly occurred at the woman’s home (39% or 90,900) or at work (32% or 76,500)

Approximately 48% of men and 53% of women aged 18 years and over who experienced face-to-face threatened assault believed that alcohol or another substance contributed to the most recent incident.

Non face-to-face threatened assault

An estimated 0.9% of persons (180,000) experienced non face-to-face threatened assault, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (1.0%). Both men (0.8%) and women (1.0%) experienced non face-to-face threatened assault at a similar rate.

Persons living in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage were more likely to experience non face-to-face threatened assault compared with persons living in the highest quintile (1.3% compared with 0.7%).

Type of non face-to-face threatened assault

Persons who experienced non face-to-face threatened assault may have been threatened in multiple ways during one or more incidents, as such components will sum to more than 100%.

Of men who experienced non face-to-face threatened assault:

  • 38% (28,700) experienced it via SMS
  • 37% (27,400) experienced it over the phone
  • 27% (20,500) experienced it through another person (or by word of mouth)
  • 27% (20,400) experienced it via instant messaging/social networking 

Of women who experienced non face-to-face threatened assault:

  • 60% (62,700) experienced it via SMS
  • 51% (53,600) experienced it over the phone
  • 31% (32,700) experienced it via instant messaging/social networking
  • 31% (32,600) experienced it through another person (or by word of mouth)

Police reporting

Approximately 24% of persons (43,200) who experienced non face-to-face threatened assault reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to 2018-19 (31%).

Note: whilst it may appear that the reporting rate for non face-to-face threatened assault has changed between 2018-19 and 2019-20, the difference between the rates is not statistically significant when the sampling error is taken into consideration.

Robbery

An estimated 0.3% of persons (69,100) experienced robbery, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (0.4%). The rate was similar for men (0.5%) and women (0.3%).

Police reporting

Approximately 64% of persons (44,100) who experienced robbery reported their most recent incident to the police, which was similar to 2018-19 (51%).

Note: whilst it may appear that the reporting rate for robbery has changed between 2018-19 and 2019-20, the difference between the rates is not statistically significant when the sampling error is taken into consideration.

Other characteristics of the most recent incident

In the most recent incident of robbery:

  • the perpetrator was most commonly a male (82% or 56,700)
  • the location was more likely to be non-residential (72% or 49,700) than residential (30% or 20,600)
  • the majority of incidents did not involve the use of a weapon (76% or 52,400)
  • property was not stolen in 68% of incidents (46,700)

Sexual assault

An estimated 0.3% of persons aged 18 years and over (62,700) experienced sexual assault, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (0.4%).

Approximately 30% of persons (18,900) who experienced sexual assault reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (28%).

Break-in

An estimated 2.4% of households (238,100) experienced a break-in, which was the same as the rate in 2018-19 (2.4%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (75% or 178,800).

Households in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage were more likely to experience a break-in than households in the highest quintile (3.1% compared with 2.1%).

Police reporting

Approximately 74% of households (175,000) that experienced a break-in reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (77%). An estimated 11% of households (26,000) did not report the incident because they thought it was too trivial or unimportant.

Other characteristics of the most recent incident

During the most recent incident:

  • 71% of households had something stolen (168,600)
  • 48% of households had property damaged (113,200)
  • 12% of households had someone confront the perpetrator (28,000)

Types of property stolen during the most recent incident

The most commonly stolen types of property include:

  • personal items, including handbag, jewellery and clothing (25% or 59,000)
  • money, purse or wallet (19% or 46,200)
  • tools (17% or 40,500)

Attempted break-in

An estimated 1.9% of households (185,800) experienced an attempted break-in, which was the same as the rate in 2018-19 (1.9%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (73% or 135,300).

Households in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage were more likely to experience an attempted break-in than households in the highest quintile (2.7% compared with 1.4%).

Households outside of capital cities were more likely than those in capital cities to experience an attempted break-in (2.2% compared with 1.7%).

Police reporting

Approximately 40% of households (74,000) that experienced an attempted break-in reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (44%).

Common reasons for not reporting to the police include:

  • thinking it was too trivial or unimportant (23% or 42,200)
  • thinking there was nothing the police could do (16% or 30,400)

Evidence of the most recent incident

The most common types of evidence of an attempted break-in include:

  • a door or window was damaged or tampered with (44% or 82,400)
  • someone being seen or heard trying to break-in (22% or 40,900)

Motor vehicle theft

An estimated 0.6% of households (62,800) had a motor vehicle stolen in 2019-20, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (0.5%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (90% or 56,500).

Police reporting

Approximately 87% of households (54,400) that had a motor vehicle stolen reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (89%).

Location of the most recent incident

Common locations where the motor vehicle was stolen include:

  • the person or another person’s home (58% or 36,700)
  • in the street or other open land (28% or 17,700)

Theft from a motor vehicle

An estimated 2.7% of households (260,100) experienced theft from a motor vehicle, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (2.5%). The majority of these households experienced a single incident (85% or 220,000).

Households in capital cities were more likely than households outside of capital cities to experience theft from a motor vehicle (3.0% compared with 1.9%).

Police reporting

Approximately 53% of households (136,900) that experienced theft from a motor vehicle reported the most recent incident to the police, which was the same as 2018-19 (53%).

Common reasons for not reporting to the police include:

  • thinking it was too trivial or unimportant (30% or 77,700)
  • thinking there was nothing the police could do (12% or 30,200)

Location of the most recent incident

Common locations where the incident occurred include:

  • residential location (73% or 190,600)
  • in the street or other open land (13% or 33,600)
  • carpark (8.3% or 21,700)

Types of property stolen during the most recent incident

Common types of property stolen include:

  • money, purse or wallet (41% or 107,400)
  • personal items, including handbag, jewellery and clothing (36% or 93,000)
  • motor vehicle parts (15% or 38,000)

Malicious property damage

An estimated 4.6% of households (448,800) experienced malicious property damage, which remained unchanged since 2018-19. The majority of these households experienced a single incident (79% or 354,800).

Households in an area in the lowest quintile (most disadvantaged) of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage were more likely to experience malicious property damage compared with households in the highest quintile (6.2% compared with 4.0%).

Police reporting

Approximately 54% of households (240,500) that experienced malicious property damage reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (53%).

Common reasons for not reporting to police include:

  • thinking it was too trivial or unimportant (23% or 100,800)
  • thinking there was nothing the police could do (12% or 53,400)

Types of property damaged during the most recent incident

Common types of property damaged, defaced or destroyed during the incident include:

  • a car or other motor vehicle (27% or 122,800)
  • external doors (24% or 109,600)
  • other exterior items (24% or 107,700)

Other theft

An estimated 2.4% of households (229,900) experienced other theft, which was an increase from 2.1% in 2018-19. The majority of these households experienced a single incident (79% or 181,400).

Police reporting

Approximately 37% of households (84,600) that experienced other theft reported the most recent incident to the police, which was similar to the rate in 2018-19 (38%).

Common reasons for not reporting to police include:

  • thinking it was too trivial or unimportant (35% or 80,700)
  • thinking there was nothing the police could do (12% or 26,500)

Location of the most recent incident

Common locations where the incident occurred include:

  • person’s home (63% or 144,100)
  • place of work (8.4% or 19,400)

Types of property stolen during the most recent incident

The most common types of property stolen include:

  • personal items, including handbag, jewellery and clothing (22% or 51,500)
  • bicycles or sporting equipment (22% or 50,800)
  • outdoor or garden items (16% or 37,800)
  • money, purse or wallet (16% or 35,600)

State and territory statistics

The state and territory statistics discussed in the following commentary have been obtained by pooling survey data across consecutive financial years, in order to improve the reliability of estimates at the state/territory level.

State/territory data has been pooled across two consecutive years for all crime types, with the exception of sexual assault which uses three consecutive years. Pooled sexual assault data are not referred to in the commentary, but are available in Table 30 from the data downloads.

Pooled periods are labelled using a combination of the financial years that comprise them. For example, the 2018-20 pooled period is a combination of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years, spanning from July 2018 to June 2020. 

While data across consecutive financial years is combined to produce the pooled estimates, the pooled estimates themselves represent a 12-month average.

For example, the estimated 142,600 victims of physical assault in New South Wales for the 2018-20 pooled period refers to the number of persons that experienced physical assault in the 12 months prior to the interview, taken as an average of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 reference periods, rather than the total number of victims across the two consecutive years.

For more information, refer to Methodology.

New South Wales

Victoria

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

Northern Territory

Australian Capital Territory

Data downloads

Summary (Tables 1 to 3a)

National and state/territory victimisation rates and police reporting rates.

Data files
Download xls [172.5 KB]

Time series (Tables 4a to 8d)

National and state/territory victimisation rates and police reporting rates, annual time series from 2008-09. 
National contribution of alcohol or other substances, annual time series from 2010-11.

Data files
Download xls [942 KB]

Personal crime (Tables 9 to 18a)

Socio-demographic characteristics of victims of personal crime, multiple victimisation and characteristics of the most recent incident.

Data files
Download xls [576 KB]

Household crime (Tables 19 to 26a)

Household characteristics of victims of household crime, multiple victimisation and characteristics of the most recent incident.

Data files
Download xls [788.5 KB]

Populations (Tables 27 to 27a)

National and state/territory populations, by sex.

Data files
Download xls [117.5 KB]

Pooled data, time series (Table 28a to 33b)

National and state/territory victimisation rates and police reporting rates, pooled time series from 2008-10.

Data files
Download xls [999 KB]

Data item list

List of data items collected in the survey.

Data files
Download xls [575 KB]

All data cubes

All Crime Victimisation, Australia 2019-20 data download files.

Data files
Download zip [1.04 MB]

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 4530.0.

Methodology

Crime Victimisation, Australia methodology, 2019-20 financial year

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