Burglary rates in Ireland have fallen at one of fastest rates in Europe

Burglary rates in Ireland have experienced one of the steepest declines in the European Union over the past decade, according to new data published by the European Commission.

Official crime figures for 2024—the most recent year with comparable data available—reveal a downward trend in burglaries across the majority of EU member states since 2014. Across 24 member states, the combined annual number of burglaries dropped by 36 percent, falling from 1.83 million in 2014 to 1.17 million in 2024.

In Ireland, burglary offences decreased by 66 percent over the same decade, dropping from nearly 27,700 to just over 9,300. Only four EU countries—Bulgaria, Lithuania, Greece, and the Netherlands—recorded a faster rate of decline. Latvia was the only EU member state to report an increase in burglaries over the ten-year period.

Data released earlier this year by Ireland’s Central Statistics Office indicated that burglaries continued to fall in 2025, decreasing by 13 percent nationwide to fewer than 8,500.

On a per capita basis, Ireland ranked 13th highest in the EU for burglaries in 2024, with 174 offences per 100,000 residents. This represents a significant drop from a decade prior, when the rate stood at 597 per 100,000, placing Ireland 8th highest in the bloc. In 2024, countries such as Austria, Sweden, and Luxembourg recorded burglary rates more than three times that of Ireland. The lowest rates in the EU were recorded in Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia.

The European Commission figures also provide context on other crime categories in Ireland compared to the rest of Europe:

* **Homicide:** Ireland recorded 37 cases of intentional homicide in 2024, resulting in a rate of 0.69 cases per 100,000 population, giving it the joint 6th lowest murder rate in the EU. The Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia reported the highest homicide rates, while Luxembourg recorded the lowest.
* **Serious Assaults:** Serious assaults in Ireland increased by 85 percent over the decade to 5,865 cases in 2024, marking the 5th highest rate in the EU.
* **Sexual Offences:** Reported rapes in the Republic more than doubled over the decade, rising from 480 in 2014 to 1,040 in 2024. This placed Ireland 8th highest in the EU for rape offences at 19 cases per 100,000 residents, trailing countries including Sweden, France, and Finland.
* **Thefts:** Theft offences, the most common crime category, fluctuated over the decade before increasing annually since 2021 to reach over 71,400 cases in 2024. Ireland ranked 9th overall with 1,335 cases per 100,000 residents, with rates more than double that figure reported in Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, noted that police-recorded crime numbers vary widely across member states even after population adjustments. The agency cautioned that differences in national legislation, police recording practices, and public reporting behavior can affect comparisons between official crime figures.

Article and image source: breakingnews.ie