- By Chetna Shree
- Fri, 08 May 2026 04:14 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
- Goa recorded India's highest rape rate in 2024.
- Rate is 13.3 cases per lakh, 3x national average.
- Police link high rate to increased awareness, reporting.
According to the data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2024, Goa recorded the highest rape rate among all Indian States, with 13.3 cases per lakh population, more than three times the national average of 4.3. This is followed by Rajasthan (12.2 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (9.9 per cent), Haryana (9.6 per cent), and Himachal Pradesh (8.7 per cent).
According to the NCRB, the crime rate is defined as the number of crimes per lakh population. These rates are based on the mid-year projected population of respective states/UTs of 2024, based on the 2011 Census.
Crime Against Women In Goa In 2024
- According to the data, a total of 105 rape cases were registered in the state, involving 106 survivors.
- Goa police registered 19 First Information Reports (FIRs) for stalking women and two
for dowry deaths.
- During the same period, 42 cases were registered for assault or use of criminal force against women with the intent to outrage their modesty.
- Data show a single case of mental harassment and two cases of sexual harassment in the public transport system.
- Additionally, the Goa police registered four cases of assault or criminal force with the intent to disrobe.
- A total of 276 FIRs were filed in the state for various other offences involving women and children.
However, the state reported no cases of kidnapping, abduction, or the inducement of women to compel marriage.
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What Did Police Say?
A senior Goa police officer attributed the state's high crime rate against women to increased awareness among women, children and NGOs, as well as improved accessibility to the criminal justice system.
"We register a rape case as soon as a survivor comes to the police station and acts against the accused," The Times of India quoted the officer as saying.
The NCRB clarified that a rise in crime and an increase in registration of crime by police are two different things that are often misunderstood.
"Increase in crime numbers in a state police data may in fact be on account of certain citizen-centric police initiatives, like the launching of e-FIR facility or women helpdesks. The increase or decrease in crime numbers, however, does call for a professional investigation of underlying factors pertaining to the local communities to suitably address the pertinent issues," the NCRB said.