China reports fewer cases of serious violent crime from 2020 to 2024

From 2020 to 2024, Chinese courts at all levels concluded the trials of 243,000 cases of intentional homicide and other serious violent crimes, which was a 6.75 percent decrease compared to the previous five-year period, according to statistics from the Supreme People's Court (SPC), the country's top court.

Of that total, the number of cases involving intentional homicide, robbery, kidnapping, arson, bombing, and spreading dangerous substances dropped from over 40,000 in 2015 to below 16,000 in 2024, according to figures released at a national conference on criminal trial work, which was convened by the SPC.

In the same period, Chinese courts concluded the trials of 827,000 cases involving robbery, forcible seizure or theft, representing a 33.26 percent drop from the previous five years. Drug-related criminal cases also dropped 58.5 percent.

Chinese courts also intensified their crackdown on crimes infringing on the lawful rights and interests of women and children, concluding 2,957 cases involving the trafficking of women and children.

From 2020 to 2024, Chinese courts acquitted 3,967 criminal defendants based on evidence and the law. A total of 21 major wrongful convictions involving 22 individuals were corrected, and 399 were acquitted upon retrial.