Crime Rates for Sydney, NSW
⇌ Compare Sydney with another suburbAs of the March 2026 data release, The Sydney (2000) crime rate for the Year ending Dec 2025 was calculated from 8658 reported incidents, equal to 51,947 incident per 100,000 people. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the population of Sydney, NSW in 2021 was 16,667. In the last 10 years, Sydney, NSW's crime rate has seen a decrease. Recent data shows that Assault and Robbery occur at a rate of 1 incident per 14.5 people. For property crimes such as Burglary and Theft, the rate is 1 incident per 5.5 people. Community safety concerns, including Stalking and Harassment, are reported at a rate of 1 incident per 50.1 people. When reviewing these figures, it’s also valuable to compare them with broader crime trends across the Greater Sydney region.
Most Common Crimes in Sydney for 2025: Theft (3180), Assault (1085), Drug offences (769).
| Type/Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 12453 | 12412 | 11776 | 11431 | 11569 | 9657 | 11135 | 9315 | 9028 | 8648 | 8658 |
| Abduction and kidnapping | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Against justice procedures | 497 | 535 | 519 | 501 | 565 | 671 | 731 | 833 | 733 | 697 | 705 |
| Arson | 5 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
| Assault | 1140 | 1147 | 1187 | 1143 | 1154 | 802 | 734 | 1107 | 1046 | 1091 | 1085 |
| Betting and gaming offences | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Blackmail and extortion | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 9 |
| Coercive Control | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Disorderly conduct | 501 | 522 | 481 | 503 | 571 | 523 | 531 | 498 | 519 | 518 | 546 |
| Drug offences | 998 | 1022 | 1250 | 1289 | 1194 | 1153 | 840 | 946 | 917 | 846 | 769 |
| Homicide | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Intimidation, stalking and harassment | 222 | 274 | 241 | 264 | 267 | 285 | 289 | 361 | 395 | 333 | 355 |
| Liquor offences | 804 | 1092 | 799 | 949 | 1194 | 800 | 712 | 658 | 366 | 321 | 336 |
| Malicious damage to property | 422 | 410 | 370 | 368 | 412 | 327 | 291 | 405 | 373 | 380 | 408 |
| Other offences | 517 | 668 | 481 | 518 | 463 | 1051 | 3220 | 583 | 294 | 278 | 345 |
| Other offences against the person | 14 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 |
| Pornography offences | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Prohibited and regulated weapons offences | 107 | 78 | 124 | 130 | 157 | 173 | 187 | 138 | 192 | 188 | 171 |
| Robbery | 64 | 40 | 49 | 55 | 33 | 36 | 18 | 33 | 50 | 55 | 48 |
| Sexual offences | 139 | 146 | 258 | 191 | 208 | 145 | 143 | 193 | 182 | 234 | 214 |
| Theft | 6105 | 5653 | 5321 | 4553 | 4280 | 2683 | 2276 | 2820 | 3101 | 3041 | 3180 |
| Transport regulatory offences | 908 | 806 | 674 | 945 | 1035 | 978 | 1129 | 713 | 820 | 633 | 468 |
In 2025, Sydney, NSW recorded 8658 total crime incidents. Over the period from 2015 to 2025, overall crime has decreased. Cumulatively over this period, the most common crime type was 'Theft' with 43013 reported cases.
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Latest Crime Rates
| Type | incidents (2025) | incidents (2024) | Changes(%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abduction and kidnapping | 2 | 3 | -33.33% (3) |
| Breach Apprehended Violence Order | 60 | 78 | -23.08% (78) |
| Breach bail conditions | 483 | 453 | 6.62% (453) |
| Escape custody | 0 | 2 | -100.00% (2) |
| Fail to appear | 1 | 11 | -90.91% (11) |
| Other offences against justice procedures | 32 | 39 | -17.95% (39) |
| Resist or hinder officer | 129 | 114 | 13.16% (114) |
| Arson | 2 | 5 | -60.00% (5) |
| Assault Police | 62 | 70 | -11.43% (70) |
| Domestic violence related assault | 172 | 205 | -16.10% (205) |
| Non-domestic violence related assault | 851 | 816 | 4.29% (816) |
| Betting and gaming offences | 1 | 0 | 100.00% (0) |
| Blackmail and extortion | 9 | 7 | 28.57% (7) |
| Coercive Control | 1 | 0 | 100.00% (0) |
| Criminal intent | 51 | 64 | -20.31% (64) |
| Offensive conduct | 249 | 217 | 14.75% (217) |
| Offensive language | 17 | 18 | -5.56% (18) |
| Trespass | 229 | 219 | 4.57% (219) |
| Dealing, trafficking in amphetamines | 4 | 5 | -20.00% (5) |
| Dealing, trafficking in cannabis | 12 | 5 | 140.00% (5) |
| Dealing, trafficking in cocaine | 31 | 60 | -48.33% (60) |
| Dealing, trafficking in ecstasy | 10 | 19 | -47.37% (19) |
| Dealing, trafficking in narcotics | 2 | 1 | 100.00% (1) |
| Dealing, trafficking in other drugs | 6 | 9 | -33.33% (9) |
| Importing drugs | 6 | 4 | 50.00% (4) |
| Other drug offences | 94 | 71 | 32.39% (71) |
| Possession and/or use of amphetamines | 73 | 79 | -7.59% (79) |
| Possession and/or use of cannabis | 243 | 214 | 13.55% (214) |
| Possession and/or use of cocaine | 84 | 140 | -40.00% (140) |
| Possession and/or use of ecstasy | 111 | 123 | -9.76% (123) |
| Possession and/or use of narcotics | 17 | 10 | 70.00% (10) |
| Possession and/or use of other drugs | 76 | 106 | -28.30% (106) |
| Attempted murder | 0 | 1 | -100.00% (1) |
| Intimidation, stalking and harassment | 355 | 333 | 6.61% (333) |
| Liquor offences | 336 | 321 | 4.67% (321) |
| Malicious damage to property | 408 | 380 | 7.37% (380) |
| Other offences | 345 | 278 | 24.10% (278) |
| Other offences against the person | 10 | 13 | -23.08% (13) |
| Pornography offences | 3 | 4 | -25.00% (4) |
| Prohibited and regulated weapons offences | 171 | 188 | -9.04% (188) |
| Robbery with a firearm | 0 | 1 | -100.00% (1) |
| Robbery with a weapon not a firearm | 11 | 20 | -45.00% (20) |
| Robbery without a weapon | 37 | 34 | 8.82% (34) |
| Sexual assault | 84 | 94 | -10.64% (94) |
| Sexual touching, sexual act and other sexual offences | 130 | 140 | -7.14% (140) |
| Break and enter dwelling | 6 | 14 | -57.14% (14) |
| Break and enter non-dwelling | 95 | 61 | 55.74% (61) |
| Fraud | 473 | 499 | -5.21% (499) |
| Motor vehicle theft | 60 | 47 | 27.66% (47) |
| Other theft | 780 | 730 | 6.85% (730) |
| Receiving or handling stolen goods | 172 | 216 | -20.37% (216) |
| Steal from dwelling | 49 | 41 | 19.51% (41) |
| Steal from motor vehicle | 72 | 56 | 28.57% (56) |
| Steal from person | 130 | 149 | -12.75% (149) |
| Steal from retail store | 1343 | 1228 | 9.36% (1228) |
| Transport regulatory offences | 468 | 633 | -26.07% (633) |
Overview
No of incidents (Year ending Dec 2025), people in 2021Crime rates are shown as incidents per 100,000 people. These figures are based on the latest reported incidents and population data from the last census (2021). Rates may appear higher or lower than current reality depending on population changes, so it is difficult to declare any suburb completely safe or unsafe.
How safe do you feel in Sydney, NSW?
Based on community voting, safety perceptions in Sydney, NSW are mixed, with a higher share reporting feeling unsafe. Results reflect personal perception and are not official crime statistics.
FAQ About Crime in Sydney, NSW
How common is car theft in the Sydney, NSW?
There were 47 motor vehicle theft incident(s) recorded between Year ending Dec 2025, averaging 1 incident every 7.8 day.
Is Sydney, NSW safe in 2026
Based on official statistics, Sydney, NSW may be considered less safe compared to the overall state average, as its crime rate of 51,947 incidents per 100,000 people for the Year ending Dec 2025 is higher than the overall crime rate in New South Wales.
What is the most common crime in Sydney, NSW?
In 2025, the most common crime type in Sydney, NSW was Theft with 3180 reported incidents.
Has crime in the Sydney, NSW increased or decreased in the past 5 years?
Crime rates have decreased by 22% over the past five years.
What is rate of criminal against person in Sydney, NSW?
In Year ending Dec 2025, there were 1723 incident against persons in Sydney, NSW, including homicide, assault, sexual offences,robbery, and other crimes against the person.
What is the rate of property crime in Sydney, NSW?
In Year ending Dec 2025, there were 3590 property crime incident in Sydney, NSW, including arson, theft, and malicious damage to property.
What is the number of drug offenses in Sydney, NSW?
In Year ending Dec 2025, Sydney, NSW recorded 769 drug incident, including cocaine, narcotics, cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy and other drugs.
Community Snapshot – Sydney (2021)
Sydney is a quiet suburb with around people. This suburb has a small number of families with children, only 0% of households with an average household size of people. The median household weekly income is $, though the unemployment rate stands at %. Reflecting its rich cultural diversity, only 0% of people were born in Australia, highlighting the suburb’s multicultural character.
Population Overview
- Total People
- Couple Families with Children
- Average Household Size
Income & Employment
- Median Household Weekly Income
- Unemployment Rate
Cultural Diversity
- Born Australia
Crime Statistics
Other Safe Suburbs Near Sydney
If you’re considering living near Sydney , you might also be interested in these nearby suburbs, which consistently report lower crime rates and offer family-friendly amenities.
- Millers Point - 119 incidents (0.06859 per 100,000 people)
- Pyrmont - 1263 incidents (0.09978 per 100,000 people)
- Dawes Point - 63 incidents (0.16364 per 100,000 people)
- Darlinghurst - 1838 incidents (0.17315 per 100,000 people)
- Woolloomooloo - 794 incidents (0.20939 per 100,000 people)
- Potts Point - 2116 incidents (0.29458 per 100,000 people)
- The Rocks (Sydney) - 437 incidents (0.69475 per 100,000 people)
- Haymarket - 5919 incidents (0.71270 per 100,000 people)
- Barangaroo - 201 incidents (0.91364 per 100,000 people)
*Unincorporated/Out Of Council - Areas that are not governed by a local government authority
Source: Crime Statistics Agency (CSA), NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Australian Bureau of Statistics
Voices from Sydney
Read what locals and visitors say about feeling safe or not in the area.
How Do You Feel About the Safety of Sydney in 2026?
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