The Crime Severity Index (CSI) is Statistics Canada’s measure of both the amount and the seriousness of police-reported crime, set so that Canada in 2006 equals 100. In 2025 Canada’s CSI was 75.0, down 5% from 2024 and 25% below 2006. Unlike the ordinary crime rate, which counts every offence equally, the CSI gives more weight to serious crimes such as homicide and robbery than to minor thefts.
Data: Statistics Canada, police-reported crime statistics for 2025 (released 22 July 2026), Crime Severity Index tables by province and census metropolitan area. Figures are for the whole census metropolitan area (CMA) unless stated. Comparisons and percentages that are not in the release are our own arithmetic. Updated 5 October 2026.
What is the Crime Severity Index?
The CSI is a single number that summarises police-reported crime in an area, adjusted for population and for how serious each offence is. Statistics Canada publishes it every year for Canada, each province and territory, each census metropolitan area and individual police services.
The index is anchored so that Canada’s value in 2006 equals 100. A score of 75 means the overall volume and seriousness of crime per person is about three-quarters of the 2006 national level. A score of 150 means one and a half times that level.
Statistics Canada also publishes two sub-indexes:
- Violent CSI – violent offences only (Canada 2025: 97.19, down 4%).
- Non-violent CSI – property, drug and other offences (Canada 2025: 66.78, down 5%). Non-violent crime makes up about 63% of the overall CSI.
How are offences weighted?
Each type of offence is given a weight based on how seriously the courts treat it, using sentencing information. More serious offences carry larger weights, so one homicide or robbery counts for much more than one minor theft or act of mischief.
In practice this means:
- A rise in shoplifting adds relatively little to the CSI, even if the number of incidents grows a lot.
- A fall in break-ins, which are both common and moderately serious, can move the index substantially. In 2025 the 11% fall in break and enter was the largest single contributor to the national CSI decline, while the 11% rise in shoplifting was the biggest offset.
How is the CSI different from the crime rate?
The crime rate simply counts Criminal Code incidents (excluding traffic offences) per 100,000 people. Every incident counts the same. The CSI weights them by seriousness. The two can tell different stories.
| Measure (Canada, 2025) | Value | Change from 2024 | What it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime Severity Index | 75.0 | -5% | Volume and seriousness, 2006 = 100 |
| Crime rate | 5,585 per 100,000 | -2% | All incidents, counted equally |
| Violent CSI | 97.19 | -4% | Violent offences, weighted |
| Violent crime rate | 1,443 per 100,000 | stable | Violent incidents, counted equally |
A good example is Calgary. Its CSI fell 3% to 61.7 in 2025, but its crime rate rose 5% to 5,038. The number of incidents went up, partly driven by shoplifting, while the overall seriousness went down.
How should I compare cities using the CSI?
The CSI is designed for comparison, so it is the best single figure for asking whether one metro area has more serious crime than another. A few examples from 2025:
| Census metropolitan area | CSI 2025 | Change from 2024 | Crime rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chilliwack | 134.3 | -4% | 11,455 |
| Winnipeg | 113.4 | -9% | 7,899 |
| Edmonton | 95.6 | -7% | 7,463 |
| Vancouver | 83.5 | +1% | 5,672 |
| Canada | 75.0 | -5% | 5,585 |
| Montréal | 61.3 | -5% | 3,641 |
| Toronto | 55.0 | -7% | 3,950 |
| Ottawa (Ont. part) | 50.6 | -6% | 4,212 |
| Barrie | 46.9 | -3% | 3,777 |
Some practical rules for reading these figures:
- Compare like with like. CMA figures cover a whole metro region; police-service figures cover one jurisdiction. Toronto Police Service’s CSI for the city of Toronto was 59.98 in 2025, higher than the Toronto CMA’s 55.0, because the CMA includes lower-crime suburbs.
- Look at the trend, not one year. Smaller CMAs can swing sharply. Saint John’s CSI rose 20% in 2025 to 70.0, which is still below the national average.
- Check the violent and non-violent split. Vancouver’s overall CSI (83.5) is higher than Calgary’s (61.7), but much of that comes from non-violent crime. Thunder Bay’s violent CSI of 195.14 is about twice the national violent CSI, our arithmetic.
- Use percentages carefully. A 10% change from 50 is 5 points; from 130 it is 13.
What are the limits of the Crime Severity Index?
Statistics Canada itself warns that the CSI is not a universal indicator of safety. Keep these limits in mind:
- Police-reported only. In the 2019 General Social Survey, only about 29% of criminal victimizations were reported to police, and just 6% of sexual assaults. Changes in reporting can move the index.
- Averages hide local differences. A metro-wide score says nothing about a particular street or neighbourhood.
- Visitors and commuters count, residents divide. Rates are calculated per resident, so places with many visitors, shoppers or commuters can look worse than the risk to residents suggests.
- It describes incidents, not people. The CSI tells you about recorded offences, not about the people who live in an area.
How has Canada’s CSI changed over time?
Canada’s CSI reached a high of 118.84 in 1998 and a low of 66.90 in 2014. It then rose to 81.27 in 2023 before falling in 2024 (78.84) and 2025 (75.01). The 2025 figure is 37% below 1998 and 25% below 2006, although still about 7% above 2015.
In 2025 the CSI fell in every province and territory except New Brunswick (+6%) and Nunavut (+10%).
How do I check crime near a specific address?
- Find your area’s CSI in the Statistics Canada CSI table.
- Look at your local police service’s crime map or open data for street-level detail.
- Use our Canada crime map to compare areas side by side.
- Read the methodology and limits; see our methodology page.
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Crime Severity Index FAQ
What does a CSI of 100 mean?
It equals Canada’s national level of police-reported crime, adjusted for seriousness, in 2006. Canada’s CSI in 2025 was 75.0.
Is a higher CSI worse?
A higher CSI means more police-reported crime per person and/or more serious crime. It does not measure your personal risk directly.
Which city had the highest CSI in 2025?
Chilliwack, at 134.3, followed by Kamloops (126.2) and Red Deer (114.4). Barrie had the lowest, at 46.9.
Why can the CSI fall while the crime rate rises?
Because the CSI weights offences by seriousness. If minor offences rise while serious ones fall, the crime rate can go up and the CSI down, as in Calgary in 2025.
Who publishes the Crime Severity Index?
Statistics Canada, using data from police services covering 99.6% of Canada’s population.
Related: Crime rate in Canada 2025 · Crime rate by city · Most dangerous cities in Canada · Safest cities in Canada · Violent crime by city. Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily. In an emergency call 911.
