Reported rate of child pornography increased 52% in 2023, total crime up 3%: Statistics Canada

Reported child pornography cases rose more than 50 per cent in 2023, a Statistics Canada report shows. Most involved a cybercrime component. (Pexels)

Last year, reported child pornography cases increased by more than 50 per cent in Canada, in part due to more cases being sent to police by specialized internet child exploitation units, according to a Statistics Canada report.

In 2023, there were 21,417 incidents of police-reported child pornography — a 52 per cent increase in the rate of incidents per 100,000 Canadians compared to 2022.

According to the report on police-reported crime, that increase was the largest contributor to the overall rise in the Crime Severity Index, which increased by two per cent last year. It was the third consecutive year the index rose.

The total rate of reported crimes increased to 5,843 incidents per 100,000 Canadians in 2023, up from 5,699 in 2022.

There were 53 incidents of child pornography reported last year per 100,000 Canadians. Most cases — 79 per cent — involved a cybercrime component.

The report notes that the increased reporting of child pornography was "partially the result of more cases—current and historical—being forwarded to local police services by specialized provincial Internet child exploitation police units and the National Child Exploitation Crime Centre."

Other crimes

The report notes other types of police-reported crime increased since 2022, including:

• Hate crimes increased from 3,612 incidents in 2022 to 4,777 in 2023 (+32 per cent)
• Extortion rose from seven to 35 incidents per 100,000 people
• Motor vehicle theft- (+12 per cent)
• Robberies (+4 per cent)
• Fraud (+12 per cent)

The national homicide rate, however, declined 14 per cent in 2023, from 2.27 homicides per 100,000 people in 2022 to 1.94 in 2023. This is the first year the rate has gone down after four consecutive annual increases, and the first time the homicide rate has been below two people per 100,000 since 2019.

Below is a table detailing the total number of incidents, the rate per 100,000 people, and the one- and 10-year changes in the rate for criminal offences in Canada.

Crime rate and severity by region

The report also breaks down crime rates by census regions. This table shows both the 2023 crime rate per 100,000 people, and the Crime Severity Index, which factors in the severity of crimes committed.