Netherlands records lowest homicide toll in 30 years: 103 victims in 2025

The Netherlands recorded 103 homicide victims in 2025, the lowest number since the country’s statistics agency began tracking such data 30 years ago, the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek reported on Thursday.

The figure marks a decline of 17 from 2024, when 120 people were killed, and continues a long-term downward trend. Men accounted for 65 of last year’s victims, the lowest annual total for male homicide victims in three decades, down from 171 in 1996. Women made up the remaining 38 cases, a reduction of 6 from the previous year.

Ruben van Gaalen, a statistical researcher at the CBS, said there was no single clear cause for the 2025 drop, noting that the relatively low numbers are subject to “continuous fluctuation.” However, he added that over the past 25 years, “we can certainly say the Netherlands is becoming safer in this regard.”

Half of the female victims were killed by a current or former partner, a proportion that has remained unchanged over the past 15 years. For men, the most common perpetrator in 2025 was an acquaintance, accounting for nearly 30% of cases, while 11% involved criminal settlements.

The Netherlands ranks among the European countries with the fewest homicides per capita. In the most recent comparative data from 2023, the CBS reported 0.69 homicide victims per 100,000 inhabitants, trailing only Ireland, Switzerland and Italy. Belgium recorded 1.10 per 100,000, and France 1.34.

The last sharp decline in homicide victims occurred in 2016, when the number fell to 108 from 120 the year before, though it rose again to 158 in 2017. Van Gaalen noted that the current decrease is particularly notable given the country’s population growth in recent years, which makes the per capita decline even more pronounced .