The crime rate in the Czech Republic fell slightly in 2023, with 0.3% fewer offences recorded by the police compared to 2022. Meanwhile, the clearance rate rose slightly to 45.7%. These long-term trends are also reflected in the numbers of people prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned.
In 2023, the crime rate remained nearly unchanged from the previous year, with a slight decrease of 547 offences. The total of 181,417 registered offences was still below the pre-Covid-19 pandemic level in 2019, a period that had a significant impact on reducing crime rates. The crime clearance rate also increased by 0.9%.
The structure of offences did not change significantly in 2023. Property offences, which made up more than half of all crimes (55%), continued to dominate, rising slightly by 0.1%. There were decreases in other categories compared to 2022: violent crime (-0.5%), immorality offences (-2.7%), and white-collar crime (-6.4%). However, there was an increase in other general crimes (+1.7%).
“Six of the 14 districts recorded a fall in crime. The largest decrease was in the Liberec region, down 8%, followed by the Pilsen region with a 6% decline. In contrast, the sharpest increase in crime was in the Vysočina region, up 7%, and the Zlín region, up 5%. In the South Bohemia region, there were 8,917 criminal offences last year—just one more than in the previous year. The highest number of offences per 100,000 inhabitants, at 2,988.4, was in Prague, which accounts for a quarter of all crime in the Czech Republic. The Ústí nad Labem region followed with 1,976.1 offences per 100,000 inhabitants,” said Jitka Wichová from the Department of Education, Health, Culture, and Social Security of the Czech Statistical Office.
In 2023, the police prosecuted 78,969 people, a 5% increase from the previous year. The number of convicted offenders also rose to 51,399, though the full impact of this increase will only become apparent after some delay. Compared to 2022, the number of convictions rose by 2%.
The number of prisoners also increased slightly to 19,569, with 97% of prison capacity utilized. This marks a decline in international comparison. With 181 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants, the Czech Republic ranks third in the EU, just ahead of Slovakia. Hungary and Poland occupy the first two places.
