Having someone enter your house and take your stuff is a scary thought. But these UK burglary statistics show it’s more common than you might think – and the consequences are devastating.
UK Burglary Statistics
- A burglary occurs somewhere in the UK every 106 seconds. (The Eco Experts)
- Every day, theft happens in 817 houses in the UK. (The Eco Experts)
- 63% of all crime is burglaries if you exclude fraud. (ONS)
- Unfortunately, 95% of burglaries remain unsolved in the UK. (The Eco Experts)
- Only 3.1% of arrested burglars end up convicted of a crime. (The Eco Experts)
- Overall, only 14 arrests are made for every 100 burglaries. (BBC)
- 46% of adults in England and Wales were victims of domestic burglary in 2021/22. (ONS)
- The age group most affected by burglary are the 16-24year-olds. (The Eco Experts)
- In 2021/22, there were 266,283 burglaries in England and Wales. (Statista)
- Burglaries have gone down consistently for the past decade; in 2002/03, there were 890,899 burglaries in England and Wales. (Statista)
The Burglar Tactics
- 1% of burglaries happen when someone is on the property. (NimbleFins)
- Perhaps surprisingly, 38.1% of burglaries take place during the day. (ONS)
- Midnight to 6 am is a popular time for a burglary; 25.8% of instances happen during this time. (ONS)
- Criminals don’t always plan their actions, and 47% of burglaries are a spur of the moment event. (SafeStyle)
- 43% of burglars know the person they are robbing. (The Eco Experts)
- 7% of burglars enter properties through the front door, one-third through the back door, and around 7% have burglars enter through a window at the side of the house. (NimbleFins)
- Semi-detached homes are the most commonly targeted property by burglars. (MoneySuperMarket)
The Cost of Burglary
- The average total cost of burglary sits at £3,030, with the average value of stolen items amounting to £1,400. (Home Office)
- The median cost, the middle point, is lower at £600 per household. (NimbleFins)
- In terms of stolen value, London’s burglaries amount to £181 million worth of stolen goods. (ONS)
- In 40.2% of residential burglaries, the stolen items related to money, including wallets, purses, cash and credit cards. (NimbleFins)
- On average, repairing damaged property can cost anything from £100 to £5,000. (NimbleFins)
- Out of those who’ve came face to face with a burglar, 48% were threatened with violence, and 27% said violence was used during the burglary. (NimbleFins)
- 5% of burglary victims report the incident emotionally affected them. (NimbleFins)
- One-third of victims had difficulty sleeping afterwards. (NimbleFins)
Burglary Hotspots
- The risk of residential burglary is highest in West Yorkshire at 0.83%. (ONS)
- Out of the biggest cities, the Great Manchester area has the most burglaries in the UK, with 15.9 per 1,000 households. (NimbleFins)
- London has fewer but still 14.8 per 1,000 households. (NimbleFins)
- Devon and Cornwall have the fewest with only 2.8 per 1,000 households. (NimbleFins)
- South West England is the safest in burglary figures, as 5.7 burglaries occur per 1,000 households. (NimbleFins)
- Rural areas, in general, tend to be safer, with only 2.9 burglaries per 1,000 households. (GOV.UK)
Protecting from Burglaries
- An average burglary takes less than 10 minutes. (The Eco Experts)
- 63% of burglaries happen in households without a basic security system. (The Eco Expert)
- 1 out of 7 burglaries occurs through an unlocked door. (NimbleFins)
- 32% of British household report having a burglar alarm, and 40% have a security camera. (The Eco Experts)
- One survey found that 20% of burglary victims don’t report the crime; 59% believed the police wouldn’t take action, and 16% felt the police couldn’t do anything. (Property Reporter)
- However, the police did visit 58% of those who reported, 31% in the first hour, and 13% got a phone call. (Property Reporter)