What is the ethnicity of homicide victims and suspects?

Why

The ONS "Homicide in England and Wales" appendix tables (year ending March 2025, released 5 February 2026, annual, from the Home Office Homicide Index) publish victims by ethnicity (Tables 5 and 6), victimisation rates per million by ethnicity (Table 7), sharp-instrument homicides by ethnicity (Table 12) and convicted principal suspects by ethnic appearance of victim and suspect (Table 33). The ethnicity tables run from the year ending March 2014.

What is known

• Homicide appendix tables, victims and suspects by ethnicity
• Homicides, all victims homicides

What is not known

• Force-level cross-tabulations by ethnicity (national only)

Who holds the data

• Home Office (Homicide Index)
• ONS (publisher)

Would a Freedom of Information request help?

Unlikely. The tables are published annually; ONS FOI responses point to the appendix tables.

Privacy and disclosure restrictions

"Ethnic appearance" is officer-assessed, not self-defined. Categories changed to Census groupings from 1 April 2021, creating a break in series.

Official sources checked

• https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/homicideinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2025
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/appendixtableshomicideinenglandandwales

Last reviewed 2026-09-02. Availability changes; if a publication now answers this question, challenge the classification below.