New police data has revealed the murder hotspots of England and Wales, with Birmingham recording 86 killings in five years and Wolverhampton having the highest per-capita murder rate in the country.
The figures, compiled into an interactive map, show that large metropolitan areas recorded the highest number of murders over the last five years. The number of killings in England and Wales fell to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to the latest police statistics, with 431 murders recorded in the year ending March 2026, down 4% on the previous year and the lowest total since at least 2012.
Birmingham and Manchester Lead in Total Killings
According to the figures, Birmingham recorded 86 murders over five years, with 19 in the last year alone. Manchester had the second highest number of killings in that time with 49, followed by Leeds with 45, Sheffield with 34, and Lambeth in London with 34.
When adjusting for population size, smaller towns and cities top the list for the highest murder rates per 100,000 people. Wolverhampton recorded 31 murders in the last five years, translating to the highest per-capita murder rate in the country at 11.02 offences per 100,000 residents, excluding Westminster in London (11.43 per 100,000 people), where results are skewed by high tourist numbers and a comparatively small resident population.
Highest Per-Capita Murder Rates
The areas with the next highest murder rates are Lewisham (10.95 per 100,000 people), Lambeth (10.73 per 100,000), and Blackpool (10.40 per 100,000).
Home Office statistics also monitor trends for cases of homicide, which includes murder, manslaughter and infanticide. Figures show that three-quarters of all victims of homicide are male, but the circumstances and relationship to the suspect differ significantly by gender.
Victim and Suspect Patterns
In the year ending March 2025, the latest analysis available, two in five female victims of homicide were suspected to have been killed by their partner or ex (40%). When a suspect was identified, intimate partners represented the vast majority of suspects. However, only 4% of male victims were suspected to have been killed by a partner or ex-partner, with men most likely to have been killed by a friend or acquaintance (20%) or a stranger (18%).
The most likely motivation for any homicide was a quarrel, revenge, or a sudden loss of temper. While homicide offences include manslaughter and infanticide, the vast majority of cases are murders.
