In the year 2024, a staggering 120 lives lost to violence in the Netherlands
Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, has seen a decrease in the number of murders and manslaughters over the past two decades. In 2000, there were 44 victims, a figure that dropped to 15 in 2021. The trend continued in 2024, with provisional figures showing 18 victims.
The decrease in the number of victims has been consistent for both men and women, although the fall has been less pronounced for women. Over the past ten years, an average of 43 women were killed per year, compared to an average of 82 men.
In 2003, more than half (52 percent) of the female victims were murdered by their partner or ex-partner. Over the years, this trend has not significantly changed, with over 70 percent of men being killed using a firearm or stabbing weapon.
Interestingly, the number of male victims stabilised after a rise in 2017, settling at an average of 82 per year, which is half the average in the early 2000s. In contrast, the number of women murdered has remained relatively stable over the years.
The Netherlands has one of the lowest murder rates in Europe, with 0.69 victims per 100,000 residents in 2023. In 2022 and 2023, Rotterdam had the highest number of murders, followed by Amsterdam and The Hague.
Data on the cities with the most murders of women and men between 2020 and 2024 is not available. However, it is known that half of all murders were committed in municipalities with a population of over 100 thousand.
In 97 percent of murder cases involving a female victim in the period 2020-2023, the police identified the perpetrator or a suspect. In 32 percent of cases involving male victims, this was an acquaintance of the victim.
Tragically, between 2020 and 2024, 30 children under the age of 10 were murdered, and 26 of these children were killed by their parent.
Over the past 25 years (2000-2024), an average of 164 people were killed each year in the Netherlands as a result of murder or manslaughter. Between 2000 and 2004, there were 163 male and 74 female victims in the Netherlands.
