Fact sheet: Nova Scotia

Victims of police-reported violent crime in Nova Scotia, 2023

In 2023, police services in Nova Scotia reported 12,467 victims of violent crime and traffic offences causing death or bodily harm (Table 4.1). This represented 1,185 victims per 100,000 population, which was lower than the national rate (1,207 per 100,000).^{Footnote 27}
Most (80%) victims were adults aged 18 and older;^{Footnote 28} 40% of all victims were aged 25 to 44 years, representing the largest proportion of any age group (Table 4.1). Meanwhile, 14% of victims were youth aged 12 to 17 years, and 5% were children aged 11 years and younger. The rate of victims was highest among youth aged 12 to 17 years (2,885 per 100,000 population), followed by young adults aged 18 to 24 years (2,216 per 100,000) and adults aged 25 to 44 years (1,802 per 100,000).^{Footnote 29}
Almost two-thirds (65%) of victims of police-reported violent crime in 2023 were victims of assault.^{Footnote 30} Assault victims accounted for more than two-thirds (69%) of adult victims aged 18 years and older, and half (50%) of child and youth victims aged 17 years and younger.
The second most commonly reported offence was “other violent violations” which accounted for almost one-quarter of victims (24%).^{Footnote 31} This category includes offences such as robbery, extortion, and uttering threats, among other violent crimes.
Overall, 7% of police-reported victims of violent crime in Nova Scotia in 2023 were victims of sexual assault. Most (62%) victims of sexual assault were adults aged 18 years and older, and almost three in ten (29%) victims of sexual assault were youth aged 12 to 17 years. A small number (9%) were children aged 11 years and younger (Table 4.1).
The majority (60%) of victims of sexual violations against children were youth aged 12 to 17 years, and 39% were children aged 11 years and younger (Table 4.1).
While just over half (54%) of police-reported victims were female, they represented much larger proportions of victims of sexual offences (86%) and sexual violations against children (83%) (Table 4.2).
Two-thirds (67%) of victims of homicide, attempted murder and other violations causing death were male, as well as the majority (63%) of victims of traffic violations causing death or bodily harm (Table 4.2).
Male and female victims of police-reported sexual assault differed notably by age. Most (64%) female sexual assault victims were adults aged 18 years and older, while half (52%) of male sexual assault victims were adults.^{Footnote 32}
Compared to female victims, sexual offences were less common among male children and youth aged 17 years and younger, as 6% were victims of sexual assault and 4% were victims of sexual violations against children (20% and 16%, respectively, among female victims).^{Footnote 33} However, assault was more commonly reported among male child and youth victims (62%) than female child and youth victims (41%).

Victim services in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s Department of Justice Victim Services Program provides a range of direct services to victims of crime, including a Provincial Victim Services Program, Criminal Injuries Counselling Program, Child Victim/Witness Program, Independent Legal Advice, and Victim Impact Statement Program. In addition, the Halifax Regional Police Service and select Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachments in Nova Scotia offer police-based victim services programs. There are also specialized community-based services such as sexual assault centres, and agencies that focus on specific types of victims including children and youth, Indigenous victims, and family members of victims. Such services include the SeaStar Child and Youth Advocacy Centre, Transition House services and Second Stage Housing, and the Mi’Kmaw Legal Support Network Victim Support Service.

The information provided below reflects data from the Nova Scotia Victim Services Program for direct and secondary victims who have a case where a charge has been laid, and in turn, are involved in the criminal justice system.

In 2023, the Nova Scotia Victim Services Program opened 8,149 new files (referrals) involving direct victims of crime,^{Footnote 34} including individual victims, businesses, and family members of homicide victims. Of the 8,149 victims referred to the program, 4,059 accepted services (50% of referrals).^{Footnote 35} (Victims of crime may have numerous files with Victim Services.)
Children and youth accounted for 9% (731) of victim referrals and 7% were assisted by the program.^{Footnote 36} Children and youth are defined as individuals under 19 years of age at the time of file opening.
Over half (56%) of victims referred to the program identified as female, while 29% identified as male, 15% did not disclose their gender, and 1% selected a non-binary gender identifier. Of victims who received services, 66% were female, 23% were male, 10% did not disclose their gender, and 1% identified with the non-binary gender identifier.
Nearly two thirds (62%) of victims referred in 2023 and 73% of victims who accepted services were associated with violent offences. Offence type reflects the most serious offence recorded in each file and may not represent all offences associated with the case. Of the violent crime victims who accepted services, 42% were victims of physical assault and 11% were victims of a sexual offence. Children and youth accounted for 43% of sexual offence victims. Victims of non-violent offences accounted for 26% of victims who accepted services, including victims of Administration of Justice (AOJ) offences and property offences.
Nearly one-quarter (24%) of services accepted by clients involved providing information related to restitution. Criminal Injuries Counselling represented 17% of services accepted by victims, and another 17% of services accepted involved offers of safety planning. Services reported include both services offered and services accepted; this distinction is maintained to accurately reflect service delivery.
A total of 5,286 files opened were eligible for and offered Criminal Injuries Counselling (CIC). Additionally, 586 children of eligible intimate partner violence (IPV) files were offered CIC.
A total of 609 Victim Impact Statements were filed in 2023, of which 155 (26%) were associated with files opened in 2023. Victim Impact Statements filed in a given year may relate to cases opened in previous years, and multiple statements may be submitted within a single file or proceeding. Many files opened in 2023 did not proceed to court or sentencing within the same year, which affects the number of court-related services and Victim Impact Statements recorded.
The Independent Legal Advice program (ILA) was offered to survivors of sexual assault 407 times through the Victim Services Program.^{Footnote 37}

Detailed data tables

Table 4.1: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 4.1: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nova Scotia, 2023
Type of violation	Total victims, all ages		Child and youth victims				Adult victims
	Total victims, all ages		11 years and younger		12 to 17 years		18 to 24 years		25 to 44 years		45 to 64 years		65 years and older
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder	48	100%	0	0	0	0	6	12.5%	27	56.3%	12	25.0%	3	6.3%
Sexual assaults	935	100%	87	9.4%	268	28.9%	225	24.2%	249	26.8%	84	9.1%	15	1.6%
Sexual violations against children	281	100%	109	39.1%	167	59.9%	1	0.4%	2	0.7%	0	0	0	0
Assaults	8,105	100%	367	4.5%	869	10.8%	1,203	14.9%	3,541	43.9%	1,751	21.7%	341	4.2%
Other violent violations	3,028	100%	100	3.3%	479	15.9%	486	16.1%	1,153	38.2%	659	21.8%	141	4.7%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm	70	100%	7	10.0%	7	10.0%	21	30.0%	26	37.1%	8	11.4%	1	1.4%
Total violent violations	12,467	100%	670	5.4%	1,790	14.4%	1,942	15.6%	4,998	40.3%	2,514	20.2%	501	4.0%
Table 4.1 footnotes Notes of table 4.1 Notes: Sexual violations against children include historical cases reported by victims as adults. Percentages were calculated by excluding victims whose age was unknown from the total number of victims in the denominator. Please use caution when interpreting findings for categories with less than 10 victims. Source of table 4.1 Source: Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.

Table 4.2: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and sex, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 4.2: Number and percentage of victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and sex, Nova Scotia, 2023
Type of violation	Total victims		Female victims		Male victims
Type of violation	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder	48	100%	16	33.3%	32	66.7%
Sexual assaults	935	100%	789	85.9%	129	14.1%
Sexual violations against children	281	100%	231	82.8%	48	17.2%
Assaults	8,105	100%	3,947	49.1%	4,090	50.9%
Other violent violations	3,028	100%	1,613	53.7%	1,393	46.3%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm	70	100%	26	37.1%	44	62.9%
Total violent violations	12,467	100%	6,622	53.6%	5,736	46.4%
Table 4.2 footnotes Notes of table 4.2 Notes: Sexual violations against children include historical cases reported by victims as adults. Percentages were calculated by excluding victims whose age was unknown from the total number of victims in the denominator. Please use caution when interpreting findings for categories with less than 10 victims. Source of table 4.2 Source: Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.

Table 4.3: Number and percentage of female victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 4.3: Number and percentage of female victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nova Scotia, 2023
Type of violation	Female victims, all ages		Female child and youth victims				Female adult victims
	Female victims, all ages		11 years and younger		12 to 17 years		18 to 24 years		25 to 44 years		45 to 64 years		65 years and older
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder	16	100%	0	0	0	0	1	6.3%	10	62.5%	4	25.0%	1	6.3%
Sexual assaults	789	100%	54	6.9%	230	29.2%	198	25.1%	218	27.7%	73	9.3%	15	1.9%
Sexual violations against children	231	100%	80	34.8%	149	64.8%	1	0.4%	0	0	0	0	0	0
Assaults	3,947	100%	131	3.3%	449	11.4%	611	15.5%	1,813	46.0%	804	20.4%	133	3.4%
Other violent violations	1,613	100%	50	3.1%	252	15.6%	277	17.2%	654	40.6%	319	19.8%	59	3.7%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm	26	100%	3	11.5%	3	11.5%	7	26.9%	11	42.3%	2	7.7%	0	0
Total violent violations	6,622	100%	318	4.8%	1,083	16.4%	1,095	16.6%	2,706	40.9%	1,202	18.2%	208	3.1%
Table 4.3 footnotes Notes of table 4.3 Notes: Sexual violations against children include historical cases reported by victims as adults. Percentages were calculated by excluding victims whose age was unknown from the total number of victims in the denominator. Please use caution when interpreting findings for categories with less than 10 victims. Source of table 4.3 Source: Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.

Table 4.4: Number and percentage of male victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nova Scotia, 2023

Table 4.4: Number and percentage of male victims of police-reported violent crime and traffic violations causing death or bodily harm, by type of violation and age group, Nova Scotia, 2023
Type of violation	Male victims, all ages		Male child and youth victims				Male adult victims
	Male victims, all ages		11 years and younger		12 to 17 years		18 to 24 years		25 to 44 years		45 to 64 years		65 years and older
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Homicide, other violations causing death, and attempted murder	32	100%	0	0	0	0	5	15.6%	17	53.1%	8	25.0%	2	6.3%
Sexual assaults	129	100%	31	24.2%	31	24.2%	26	20.3%	29	22.7%	11	8.6%	0	0
Sexual violations against children	48	100%	28	59.6%	17	36.2%	0	0	2	4.3%	0	0	0	0
Assaults	4,090	100%	217	5.3%	418	10.2%	585	14.3%	1,711	41.9%	942	23.1%	207	5.1%
Other violent violations	1,393	100%	47	3.4%	221	15.9%	207	14.9%	498	35.8%	338	24.3%	81	5.8%
Criminal Code traffic violations causing death or bodily harm	44	100%	4	9.1%	4	9.1%	14	31.8%	15	34.1%	6	13.6%	1	2.3%
Total violent violations	5,736	100%	327	5.7%	691	12.1%	837	14.6%	2,272	39.7%	1,305	22.8%	291	5.1%
Table 4.4 footnotes Notes of table 4.4 Notes: Sexual violations against children include historical cases reported by victims as adults. Percentages were calculated by excluding victims whose age was unknown from the total number of victims in the denominator. Please use caution when interpreting findings for categories with less than 10 victims. Source of table 4.4 Source: Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.

Footnotes

Footnote 27

Rates are from a custom tabulation of the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey by Statistics Canada, the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics.

Return to footnote 27 referrer

Footnote 28

Calculations based on Table 4.1.

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Footnote 29

Rates are from a custom tabulation of the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey by Statistics Canada, the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics.

Return to footnote 29 referrer

Footnote 30

Calculations based on Table 4.1.

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Footnote 31

Ibid.

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Footnote 32

Calculations based on Tables 4.3 and 4.4.

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Footnote 33

Ibid.

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Footnote 34

Due to differences in definitions of victims and methods of counting, victim counts may not be comparable to victim counts of other provinces and territories. The victim count methodology may also differ from the count of police-reported victims from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey.

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Footnote 35

Victims may pursue services offered by Victim Services on their own without direct personal contact with Victim Services Navigators, such as Criminal Injuries Counselling (CIC) or Independent Legal Advice (ILA).

Return to footnote 35 referrer

Footnote 36

Children and Youth are those under 19 years of age at the time of their file being opened. Not their age at the time of the offence or referral.

Return to footnote 36 referrer

Footnote 37

The ILA program can be accessed without having a file with Victim Services, incident does not have to be reported to police to access the program. The program is administered by 211 on behalf of Victim Services to allow for confidentiality of users of the program.

Return to footnote 37 referrer

Date modified:: 2026-09-28

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