Sri Lanka grapples surging crime amid economic recovery

By Roy Denish

Efforts to navigate economic recovery are juxtaposed against a persistent and, in some sectors, escalating crime landscape as the country reaches mid-2025. An analysis of reported data indicates notable shifts in the prevalence of various criminal activities since 2024, especially homicides, according to available data.

Homicides represent the most critical concern. Following a significant increase to 4,114 cases in 2024, the first six months of 2025 (January-June) have already recorded 1,933 murder cases nationwide. This sustained high rate of fatal violence is predominantly attributed to intensifying gang-related violence and the entrenched influence of drug trafficking. Police data indicate 68 shooting incidents between 1 January and 13 July, resulting in 37 fatalities of individuals predominantly associated with criminal networks. The ubiquitous availability of deadly illicit firearms further exacerbates this trend, challenging law enforcement’s capacity to mitigate these incidents effectively.

The escalating gang violence has emerged as a particularly destabilising force within the criminal landscape. Many of the violent crimes, including a significant proportion of the recorded homicides and a thousand knife-assault-injury cases in the first half of 2025, are directly linked to organised crime groups and drug-related “Mafia-Style” gangs. These groups are frequently engaged in brutal clashes over territorial control and illicit profits, turning public spaces into arenas of violent confrontation. This pervasive gang activity not only fuels the escalating murder rate but also contributes to a broader sense of insecurity, impacting communities and eroding public trust in law and order.

While specific, granular data for thefts from hotels and guesthouses remains unaudited in public reports for both 2024 and 2025, recurrent international travel advisories continue to flag “low-level opportunistic crime” in tourist areas, implying an ongoing, though unquantified, risk. Concurrently, robberies for the first half of 2025 stand at 367 cases, while banditry accounts for 972 cases. These figures, when compared to 490 robberies and 1,405 banditry cases for the full year of 2024, indicate sustained levels of these offences. A particularly concerning development is the marked increase in abductions, with 517 cases reported from January to June 2025. This half-year total already exceeds annual figures for several preceding years (2020-2023), suggesting a deepening concern in this specific criminal domain.

The pervasive influence of illicit narcotics is evident across multiple crime categories. Approximately 3,000 offences reported in the first six months of 2025 fall under the Poisons, Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. Authorities have made substantial seizures, with 13,554 kilograms of narcotics confiscated in the first half of 2025 alone, including 922 kilograms of heroin and 1,386 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (‘Ice’). Concurrently, nearly 106,000 individuals have been apprehended in connection with these operations, and 35,442 cases formally filed. According to available data, crimes such as housebreaking and robbery are frequently committed by drug users seeking funds, underscoring the interconnectedness of drug abuse with broader economically driven criminality. This ongoing battle against drug syndicates is often violent, with organised crime groups clashing over territorial control and illicit profits.

Human trafficking continues to underscore significant vulnerabilities within the population. Sri Lanka maintains its status as a source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking. While precise mid-2025 victim identification data is not yet comprehensively released, 95 victims were identified between June 2023 and June 2024 by relevant Government agencies. Individuals from countries including China, Thailand, Russia, and notably Pakistan have been documented as victims trafficked into Sri Lanka for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labour, underscoring the transnational dimension of this illicit activity. Sexual offences, particularly against minors, also remain alarmingly high, with over 600 incidents of child sexual abuse reported in the first half of 2025.

The broader economic context undeniably influences the nation’s crime rates. Despite reports of 5.0% GDP growth in 2024 and 4.8% in the first quarter of 2025, residual economic pressures, including elevated poverty and unemployment, likely continue to contribute to economically driven criminal behaviour. Approximately 10,000 incidents of crime in the first half of 2025 are considered economically motivated. 

Furthermore, the increasing number of assaults on Police officers, with 329 cases recorded in the first half of 2025, points to a more confrontational environment for law enforcement personnel engaged in combatting entrenched criminal networks.

The continuous challenges posed by organised crime, drug proliferation, and escalating violence present a formidable obstacle to achieving comprehensive security and stability in Sri Lanka.