UP Records Lower Crime Rate than National Average | 30 Sep 2025

Why in News?

According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2023 report, Uttar Pradesh performed better than the national average in terms of crime rate per lakh population, despite having a high absolute number of registered cases.

Key Findings

  • National Average vs. UP Performance:
    • India’s Overall Crime Rate: 448.3 per lakh population.
    • Uttar Pradesh: 335.3 per lakh population (over 25% lower than the national average).
  • Uttar Pradesh Specifics:
    • UP, with a population of 24 crore, registered 7.93 lakh under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special and Local Laws (SLL). 
    • The state ranked 11th among 28 states and 8 union territories in terms of crime rate.
  • Comparison with Other States/UTs:
    • Kerala: Highest crime rate, 1,631.2 per lakh.
    • Delhi (UT): 1,602 per lakh population.
  • Year-on-Year Comparison (2022 vs. 2023):
    • India 2022: 258 per lakh.
    • UP 2022: 171.6 per lakh (ranked 18th, with 4.01 lakh cases).
    • Kerala topped in 2022 as well (661 per lakh).
    • 2023 shows a significant rise nationwide and in UP, but UP remains below the national average.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

  • NCRB was set up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals to assist the investigators in linking the crime to the perpetrators based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee, National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Taskforce (1985).
  • It is part of the MHA and is headquartered in New Delhi.
  • It also acts as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint records of Indian and foreign criminals, and assists in locating interstate criminals through fingerprint search.
  • The NCRB has four divisions: Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), Crime Statistics, Fingerprints, and Training.
  • NCRB Publications: