The number of murders and manslaughter in Scotland has increased by 10%, the Scottish Government says

Murders and manslaughter in Scotland have risen by 10%, a report says.

The latest official homicide statistics released by the Scottish Government show that 57 people were killed in 2023-24, a five-fold increase on the previous year.

Homicide includes victims of homicide or manslaughter, when someone is killed without intent.

Despite the rise in homicides, the government said 2023-2024 was the third lowest since records began in 1976.

The number of homicide victims has been on a downward trend since 2004, but new figures suggest the rate of decline has slowed over the past decade.

The report found that 44 victims were men and 13 were women.

The number of injured men increased by five, while the number of injured women remained unchanged.

In 46 murder cases in Scotland, the victim and the main accused knew each other.

The study found that over the past ten years, women were more likely to be killed by a partner or ex-partner, while men were more likely to be killed by an acquaintance.

The city of Glasgow had ten murder victims, the highest rate of any region in Scotland.

The city accounts for 18% of the nation’s murders, despite only accounting for 12% of the population.

The report found that over the past 20 years, homicides in Glasgow have fallen faster than in Scotland as a whole.

It said there were 47 homicides in the city since 2019, a 71% reduction from 162 victims in the five-year period since 2004.

The report examined the method of killing used in homicides over the year and found that the most common method was a sharp instrument such as a knife.

It was also determined that 33 victims were killed due to drug-related problems and two victims were killed by gunfire.

Victims aged 16 to 20 have seen the biggest decline in two decades, with 125 victims in this age range from 2004 to 2009 falling to 29 between 2019 and 2024.

The figures also showed that nine children under the age of 16 were among the 57 homicide victims in Scotland, four of whom were killed by their parents.

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