Sydney · Council (LGA)
Recorded crime in the area — the overall offence rate per 100,000 residents, the mix of offence types, and how it is changing. Sourced from state and territory police data; offence definitions differ by state, so comparisons across state lines are indicative only.
Theft is the most common crime in Sydney, making up 20.9% of all recorded offences. While the crime rate has fallen by 8.0% over five years, the area still records far more offences than most other parts of the country.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Sydney — higher than 87% of areas.
The overall recorded-offence rate and its five-year trend.
Sydney's recorded offences per 100,000 people stand at 19,711, which is much higher than most areas. Aside from theft, drug offences and assaults are the most frequent crimes, each accounting for 10.4% of the total.
19,711
Higher than 87% of council (lga) areas.
Total recorded criminal offences per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). The per-capita rate is the meaningful map metric — raw counts just track population. Offence definitions and counting rules differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
-8.0%
Lower than 77% of council (lga) areas.
Change in the recorded-offence rate over the latest five years — positive means crime is rising, negative means it is falling. Computed from each region's annual series.
Rates for assault, sexual offences, robbery, burglary, theft, drugs and more.
Theft and robbery rates are among the highest at this level, while drug offences and sexual offences are much higher than most areas. Motor vehicle theft and assault rates are also much higher than usual, and property damage is higher than most areas.
2,050
Higher than 85% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded assault & related per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
457
Higher than 86% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded sexual offences per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
93
Higher than 91% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded robbery per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
487
Lower than 53% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded burglary (unlawful entry) per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
4,114
Higher than 98% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded theft per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
679
Higher than 80% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded motor vehicle theft per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
1,033
Higher than 72% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded property damage per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
2,057
Higher than 88% of council (lga) areas.
Recorded drug offences per 100,000 residents per year (latest complete year, from the state/territory police service). Offence definitions differ by state, so cross-state comparisons are indicative only.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Crime & Safety in Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA17200/sydney/topic/crime-safety
