120 people killed in Netherlands last year; Half of women victims killed by partner, ex

Last year, 120 people died in the Netherlands as a result of murder or manslaughter. That is five fewer than in 2023. 76 men and 44 women were killed. Nearly half of the female victims in 2024 were killed by a partner or ex, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), which publishes these figures annually.

From 2020 to 2024, the police identified a perpetrator or suspected perpetrator in 97 percent of all female victims. In 52 percent of cases, this was a partner or ex. Twenty percent of women were killed by a family member. Most women were killed in their own homes, usually with a stabbing weapon or by strangulation.

With murdered men, the police identified a suspect in 86 percent of cases. 32 percent were killed by someone they knew. 11 percent died as a result of a settling of scores within the criminal underworld. Over 70 percent of men were killed with a firearm or stabbing weapon, according to CBS.

From 2020 to 2024, 30 children under the age of 10 were murdered in the Netherlands, 16 boys and 14 girls. 26 of these children were murdered by a parent.

The number of murder and manslaughter victims has decreased by more than half compared to the beginning of this century. From 2000 to 2004, an average of 163 men and 74 women were killed per year. The number of murdered men decreased until 2016. In 2017, there was a peak, and after that, the number of male victims stabilized at an average of 82 per year.

The number of murdered women also decreased, but less sharply than for men. Over the past ten years, the number of victims has remained stable, averaging at 43 women per year.

73 percent of victims were between 20 and 60 years old, 10 percent were younger than 20, and the remaining 17 percent were older than 60.

Half of last year’s murders were committed in municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants. Most were in Amsterdam (18), Rotterdam (11), and The Hague. According to CBS, the Nehterlands is among the countries with a relatively low murder rate. Only Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, and Slovenia have even fewer.