Atlas of Victimization: Global Patterns, Trends, and Security Challenges
How common is crime? Who are the people most affected? How do communities perceive safety, and how effective are institutional responses?
The Victimization Atlas compiles surveys, microdata, and comparable indicators from more than 70 countries to explore these and other questions using reliable statistical evidence.
In May 2026, the Atlas incorporated data from 71 countries, including new findings, methodologies, questionnaires, and links to microdata from national victimization surveys, primarily from 2024 and 2025. This effort consolidates one of the most comprehensive comparative sources on security and victimization at the international level.
Beyond compiling documentation and databases, the Atlas provides evidence to understand how crime and victimization experiences evolve in different regions of the world, as well as the responses of public institutions. Its data allow for the analysis of phenomena that are often underrepresented in administrative records—such as sexual violence, fraud, threats, corruption, and unreported crimes—as well as the exploration of citizens’ perceptions of security, trust in institutions, and the performance of prevention and justice systems.
More data to understand security and design public policies.
Currently, the Atlas includes:
71 countries surveyed
25 countries in the Americas
18 countries with at least one database available for research, 14 in the Americas.
One of the main resources available in the Atlas is access to microdata from national victimization surveys. Currently, datasets are available from countries such as the United Kingdom, Chile, Peru, Mexico, the United States, Australia, and Colombia, which expands the possibilities for comparative analysis and applied research.
Access to this information strengthens the development of territorial assessments and the design of evidence-based public policies. Microdata allow for the identification of groups at higher risk of victimization, the analysis of barriers to reporting, the study of patterns of violence, and the evaluation of the effectiveness of prevention and public safety programs.
For example, indicators on perceptions of insecurity can guide interventions in public spaces and transportation systems; information on reporting helps identify gaps in access to justice; while data on fraud, interpersonal violence, and other crimes facilitate the design of specialized strategies for prevention, protection, and victim support.
New Surveys and Indicators Added
The Atlas’s most recent additions expanded its statistical and documentary coverage with information from Peru, the Netherlands, England and Wales, Scotland, Iceland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. These new resources include survey results, methodological documentation, questionnaires, and indicators that strengthen the comparative analysis of victimization and safety at the international level.
Peru is one of the countries that contributed new information to the Atlas. The most recent results of the National Survey of Budget Programs (ENAPRES) provide an updated overview of victimization, crime reporting, and perceptions of public safety.
According to the survey, in 2024, 25.3% of the urban population aged 15 and older was a victim of at least one criminal act, a decrease of 1.8 percentage points compared to the previous year. The theft or attempted theft of money, a wallet, or a cell phone remained the most common crime, with a rate of 15.6 victims per 100 inhabitants.
In addition to victimization figures, the survey provides information on the characteristics of victims, the reasons for not reporting crimes, and perceptions of safety—essential elements for designing more effective public responses centered on the needs of the population.
The Atlas: A Platform for Research, Cooperation, and Decision-Making
The Atlas platform provides access to methodologies, questionnaires, results, and comparable indicators that can be used for academic research, regional analysis, public policy design, and monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions.
Because measuring crime is not just about counting crimes: it is about understanding contexts, perceptions, gaps, and risks to build more effective prevention and security policies.
Exploring the Atlas allows you to:
Consult 15 comparable indicators. View and download international data on victimization, including incidents involving firearms, robbery (home burglary, violent robbery, carjacking), extortion, sexual violence, corruption, fraud, and perceptions of safety.
Find microdata to generate evidence. Conduct research, regional assessments, and public policy evaluations using available databases and methodological resources.
Document decision-making. Find surveys, publications, and official microdata to strengthen the arguments supporting solutions to public problems.
For more information, visit: UNODC-INEGI Center of Excellence Victimization Atlas