Annual Report National Domestic Homicide Project 2026
The fifth annual report from the national Domestic Homicide Project, which works across England and Wales, was published in April 2026. The report examines domestic abuse related deaths identified by police to improve understanding of risk indicators, victim and perpetrator demographics. For the third year in a row, suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse have overtaken other categories to become the most commonly recorded type of death. This reflects increased awareness and progress in identifying the links between domestic abuse and suicide. The unique dataset provides detailed information on these deaths not available from any other source, helping police and partners improve their response to domestic abuse, domestic homicide and suspected victim suicide following domestic abuse.
The National Domestic Homicide Project is a Home Office funded research project led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and delivered by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) within the College of Policing.
As well as providing detailed analysis of domestic abuse-related deaths, the project also works with bereaved families of victims, who continue to be a key driver for change across the criminal justice system.
Key findings from the Year 5 report:
347 deaths were recorded between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025:
150 suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse (SVSDA)
125 domestic homicides, including:
80 intimate partner homicides (IPH)
45 adult family homicides (AFH)
43 unexpected deaths
17 child deaths
12 ‘other’ deaths (where the victim and suspect lived together but were not related or intimate partners)
