The Northwest Territories had the highest homicide rate of any province or territory in 2015, according to data from Statistics Canada.
The territory had five homicides last year, meaning it had a rate of 11.34 victims per 100,000 people.
READ: Statistic Canada’s full report (pdf)
That’s up from three victims and a rate of 6.82 in 2014. It’s also the second-highest rate recorded in the territory since 1992.
The two other territories had much lower homicide rates in 2015. In Nunavut, there were two homicides which accounted for 5.42 victims per 100,000 people.
There was only one homicide in Yukon, giving that territory a homicide rate of 2.67 per 100,000.
Altogether, police reported 604 homicide victims in Canada last year – 83 more than the previous year and the highest number of homicides reported since 2011.
Among provinces, Saskatchewan recorded the highest 2015 homicide rate at 3.79 per 100,000. Manitoba (3.63) and Alberta (3.17) rounded out the top three.
The statistics agency notes that “homicides per 100,000 population tends to be more variable from year to year within the territories, in part due to their smaller population counts.”
NWT homicide rates in the past five years
- 2011: 6.90
- 2012: 11.46
- 2013: 4.56
- 2014: 6.82
- 2015: 11.34
