Italy achieves third lowest homicide rate in the European Union

Italy recorded its lowest homicide rate in the European Union in 2023, reaching the third lowest age-standardized rate in the region.

The research institute Eurispes analyzed data from the national bureau Istat to track these changes. The findings show that Italy reached an intentional homicide rate of 0.57 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, which sits below the European average of 0.91.

When researchers adjusted the figures to account for Italy's large population of senior citizens, the rate fell to 0.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. This puts Italy behind only Malta and Germany in safety metrics. This decline marks a major shift from the 1980s and 1990s when the country faced extreme violence from organized crime groups.

During that period, criminal organizations including Cosa Nostra, Camorra, and ’Ndrangheta were responsible for more than half of the 992 homicides that occurred between 1985 and 1991. Since then, the number of such crimes has dropped by 80% due to government actions, fewer conflicts between different criminal groups, and a reluctance by these groups to use extreme violence to avoid state retaliation. The report also notes that the fall in violence is consistent across different demographics.

While the rural region of Sardinia and the Aosta Valley have the highest rates, the homicide rates in the north, center, and south of the country are now almost equal. Additionally, the rate of femicide in Italy has fallen to among the lowest in the European Union.