Toronto recorded 45 homicides in 2025, the lowest annual total since at least 2004 and 47% fewer than the 85 recorded in 2024, according to Toronto Police Service open data. Between January and September 2026 the city recorded 27 homicides, compared with 34 in the same months of 2025. Shootings remain the most common type.
Data: Toronto Police Service, Homicides Open Data (ASR-RC-TBL-002), 2004 to September 2026, updated 8 October 2026, licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario; Statistics Canada, homicide victims by census metropolitan area, 2025 (released 22 July 2026). Rates and percentage changes not published by the sources are our own calculations. Updated 26 October 2026.
This guide covers homicides inside the City of Toronto, the area policed by the Toronto Police Service (TPS). It counts homicides by the year they happened, not the year they were solved or went to court.
Key facts
- Toronto recorded 45 homicides in 2025, down from 85 in 2024 and the lowest yearly total in the TPS data series that starts in 2004 (Toronto Police Service open data, updated 8 October 2026).
- The 2025 total is about 41% below the 2015–2024 average of 76 a year (our calculation from TPS data).
- Toronto’s 2025 homicide rate was about 1.4 per 100,000 residents, based on a city population of 3,214,722 (our calculation from TPS data), below the national rate of 1.61 reported by Statistics Canada.
- Shootings accounted for 20 of the 45 homicides in 2025 (44%), stabbings for 14 and other methods for 11.
- From January to September 2026, Toronto recorded 27 homicides, 21% fewer than the 34 recorded in the same period of 2025.
- The record year in the series is 2018, with 98 homicides.
How many homicides were there in Toronto in 2025?
Toronto had 45 homicides in 2025, according to the Toronto Police Service’s Homicides Open Data. That is 40 fewer than in 2024 and less than half of the 2018 peak of 98. No year since the data set begins in 2004 has recorded fewer.
A homicide is the killing of a person by another person that police classify as murder, manslaughter or infanticide. Deaths caused by impaired or dangerous driving, and justified killings such as lawful self-defence, are not counted as homicides.
Toronto homicides by year, 2004–2025
Toronto’s yearly homicide count has ranged from 45 (2025) to 98 (2018) over the 22 years in the TPS data set, with an average of about 69 a year (our calculation). Totals rose through the late 2010s, stayed between 71 and 85 from 2019 to 2024, and then dropped sharply in 2025.
| Year | Homicides (number) | Shooting | Stabbing | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 59 | 26 | 18 | 15 |
| 2016 | 75 | 41 | 9 | 25 |
| 2017 | 65 | 39 | 11 | 15 |
| 2018 | 98 | 51 | 20 | 27 |
| 2019 | 79 | 44 | 16 | 19 |
| 2020 | 71 | 38 | 18 | 15 |
| 2021 | 85 | 46 | 16 | 23 |
| 2022 | 71 | 44 | 17 | 10 |
| 2023 | 73 | 29 | 24 | 20 |
| 2024 | 85 | 43 | 24 | 18 |
| 2025 | 45 | 20 | 14 | 11 |
| 2026 (Jan–Sep) | 27 | 18 | 3 | 6 |
Source: Toronto Police Service, Homicides Open Data (ASR-RC-TBL-002), updated 8 October 2026. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Earlier years: 2004 64, 2005 80, 2006 70, 2007 86, 2008 70, 2009 62, 2010 65, 2011 51, 2012 57, 2013 57, 2014 58.
The 2025 drop was broad: shooting homicides fell from 43 to 20, stabbings from 24 to 14 and other homicides from 18 to 11.
What is Toronto’s homicide rate?
Toronto’s homicide rate was about 1.4 per 100,000 residents in 2025, our calculation from 45 homicides and the 2025 population of 3,214,722 used in the TPS neighbourhood crime data. That is about 13% below the Canadian rate of 1.61 per 100,000 published by Statistics Canada (released 22 July 2026).
Statistics Canada reports a different figure for the wider Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), the city plus surrounding municipalities such as Mississauga, Brampton, Markham and Vaughan: 64 homicide victims in 2025, a rate of 0.91 per 100,000, down from 133 in 2024. The CMA rate is lower because many suburbs in the region record fewer homicides per resident than the city itself. The two sources also count differently: Statistics Canada counts victims, while the TPS file lists recorded homicide cases.
| Area (2025) | Homicides (number) | Rate per 100,000 (2025) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Toronto (TPS) | 45 | about 1.4 | TPS open data; our calculation |
| Toronto CMA | 64 | 0.91 | Statistics Canada |
| Canada | 672 | 1.61 | Statistics Canada |
For other cities, see our homicide rate by city table and the guide to Canada’s murder capital question, where Thunder Bay has had the highest metro rate since 2022.
Are homicides in Toronto going down in 2026?
Toronto homicides are lower again in 2026 so far: the TPS data record 27 homicides from January to September 2026, 21% fewer than the 34 in the same nine months of 2025 and 61% fewer than the 69 in January–September 2024. July had the most in 2026 so far, with 6.
These 2026 figures are preliminary. The most recent case in the file is dated late September 2026, and the data set was last updated on 8 October 2026, so October is not yet included. Totals for a year can change as deaths are reclassified after investigation.
What share of Toronto homicides are shootings?
Shootings were the most common type of homicide in Toronto in 2025, accounting for 20 of 45 cases, or 44%. Stabbings made up 31% and other methods 24% (our calculation from TPS data). In 2026 so far, 18 of the 27 homicides were shootings.
Over the full 2004–2025 series, shootings account for 790 of 1,526 Toronto homicides, just over half. Our guide to gun crime in Canada explains the national firearm trend, including Statistics Canada’s finding that firearm-related violence in Toronto reached a 15-year high in 2024.
Where in Toronto do homicides happen?
Homicides in Toronto are spread across the city but remain rare in most neighbourhoods: 38 of Toronto’s 158 neighbourhoods recorded no homicide at all in the five years from 2021 to 2025, according to TPS data (our calculation). Across all 16 police divisions, no division recorded more than six homicides in 2025.
Five-year totals by division are small and change a lot from year to year, so we do not rank individual areas by homicide. For a broader view of risk where you live, the Toronto crime rate by neighbourhood guide compares assaults, break-ins and car thefts per 100,000 residents, and our list of the safest neighbourhoods in Toronto ranks areas with the lowest rates. The Toronto crime map guide explains the official TPS maps.
In the 2021–2025 data, more homicides occurred on Saturdays (64 of 359, 18%) than on any other day, and the fewest on Wednesdays (37, 10%).
Is Toronto safe compared with other big Canadian cities?
Toronto is one of the lower-crime large cities in Canada: the Toronto CMA’s 2025 Crime Severity Index was 55.0, below Montréal (61.3), Vancouver (83.5) and the national 75.0, according to Statistics Canada. The Crime Severity Index (CSI) is a Statistics Canada measure that weights each crime by its seriousness, so homicides and other violent crimes count for more than minor thefts.
Our guides is Toronto safe?, Toronto vs Montréal vs Vancouver crime and Ottawa vs Toronto crime compare the main measures side by side. For Ontario as a whole, see the Ontario crime map.
How to check homicide data for Toronto yourself
- Open the TPS Public Safety Data Portal and search for “Homicides”. The data set lists each case with year, month, day of the week, division, type and neighbourhood.
- Check the update date. The current file was updated on 8 October 2026; recent months are preliminary.
- Compare full years only when looking at trends, or compare the same months across years, as we do above.
- Use Statistics Canada for comparisons with other cities, because its victim counts and rates use one method across Canada.
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Toronto homicides FAQ
How many murders were there in Toronto in 2025?
Toronto Police Service data record 45 homicides in the City of Toronto in 2025, the lowest total since at least 2004 and down from 85 in 2024.
What is the Toronto murder rate?
About 1.4 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2025 (our calculation from TPS data), below the national rate of 1.61. The wider Toronto metro area had a rate of 0.91, according to Statistics Canada.
How many homicides has Toronto had in 2026?
27 from January to September 2026, according to TPS data updated 8 October 2026, compared with 34 in the same period of 2025.
What was Toronto’s worst year for homicides?
2018, with 98 homicides, the highest total in the TPS series that begins in 2004.
Are most Toronto homicides shootings?
Shootings are the largest single type: 20 of 45 homicides in 2025 (44%) and just over half of all homicides since 2004.
Related: Is Scarborough safe? · Homicide rate in Canada by city · Is Toronto safe? · Toronto crime map · Gun crime in Canada · Crime rate in Canada by city. In an emergency call 911.