Attempted homicides in France up 78% between 2016 and 2023

Complaints of attempted homicide recorded in France by the police and gendarmerie increased by 78% between 2016 and 2023, according to figures released on Thursday, July 18 by the statistics department of the Ministry of the Interior (SSMSI). The latter is publishing reliable data on the subject for the first time.

In total, 4,015 victims of attempted homicide were recorded by law enforcement in 2023, compared to 2,259 in 2016, with an average annual increase of 9% over the period, according to the new SSMSI study.

More than eight out of ten recorded attempted homicides (85%) were committed outside the family setting last year, a share that has been stable since 2021. More than three-quarters of the victims are men (77%), most often outside the family setting (93%). Conversely, women represent 65% of victims in the family setting, and even 73% in the marital setting.

Young people aged 15 to 29 are the most exposed to attempted homicide, men five times more than women in this age group. The people accused have the same profile as the victims: men (90%), aged 18 to 29 (47%).

French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Mayotte have, in order, the highest rates of attempted homicide, up to 12 times higher than in mainland France. Seine-Saint-Denis, Bouches-du-Rhône, Val-d’Oise and Paris occupy the first four places. Lozère and Lot record the lowest rates.