The number of women murdered or killed in Scotland last year rose by more than 15% despite homicide figures falling to a 50-year low.
Behind the headline-grabbing news that homicides were at their lowest since 1976, the number of women killed – mostly by men – rose to 15 in 2024-25 from 13 the year before (up 15.8%).
At the same time, the number of men killed fell by 31% from 44 to 30.
Scottish Government data shows that 45 people were the victims of homicide in 2024-25, 12 fewer than the 57 victims the previous year.
They initially failed to acknowledge that within that data the number of women killed during the period had risen not fallen.
Of the 45 murder victims recorded during the period, 30 (67%) were male and 15 (33%) were female. In the previous year, 13 women were murdered (23%) with 44 out of 57 homicide victims being male (77%).
Analysis shows that the numbers of women being killed every year in Scotland remains broadly consistent.
In 2022-23, of the 52 homicide victims in total, 39 were male and 13 were female, meaning women accounted for 25% of all homicide victims that year.
While in 2021/22, 16 women were killed – a third of the total 53 homicide victims in Scotland that year.
The majority of killings involving female victims are “femicides” meaning they were killed by a man on account of their gender.
In 2024/25, almost half of female victims died at the hands of a partner or ex-partner, with this being the case for seven of the 15 women killed in 2024-25.
And, of the 55 people accused of homicide during the period, 50 were male and five were female.
Data shows that 11 of the 15 female victims in 2024/25 had one male accused, one female victim had two male accused and three female victims had one female accused.
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill MSP said: “Violence against women and girls is a scourge on our society, and these deeply troubling figures underline the extent of the problem.
“We need to use every lever of government to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and keep our communities safe.
“That means building a justice system that protects women, making our communities safer and delivering programmes across our education system to tackle toxic attitudes head on.”
Former police officer Wendy Chamberlain, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for North East Fife, said: “While the number of homicides has declined, it is troubling that women are still most likely to be killed by their partner or ex-partner.
“We want action on violence against women and girls to be included as part of efforts to rehabilitate prisoners, all housing and frontline staff to be trained to detect and respond appropriately to domestic abuse and a presumption that the perpetrator of domestic abuse will be required to leave the shared home, allowing survivors greater choice and agency.
“These steps would help to stamp out gendered violence for good.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Women’s Aid said: “The death of one woman at the hands of a partner or ex-partner is one too many.
“The tragedy is harder to accept as each death was preventable.
“The behaviour of these men is a broader pattern of violence against women and girls, fuelled by societal inequality, sexism, and misogyny.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are aware that this year, the number of female victims has increased on the previous year, although lower than in 2021-22.
“The fundamental concern of course is that the majority of female victims were killed by men, as is the case each year, and this demands continued and determined action and focus not just on bringing perpetrators to account, but also prevention and intervention being key.
“That is why we are committed to tackling and eradicating violence against women and girls and the underlying causes.
“We have announced a £2.4 million uplift to the Delivering Equally Safe Fund for 2025/26, to allow all fund recipients to continue the vital work they undertake to prevent violence and support survivors.
“This increase will bring the total Scottish Government investment in Delivering Equally Safe up to £21.6 million for the year ahead, supporting 115 projects from 107 organisations.”
