Ottawa, Nov 30 (IANS): Canada's national homicide rate rose by 8 per cent to 2.25 homicides per 100,000 population in 2022, representing a fourth consecutive yearly increase, the national statistical agency said.

According to Statistics Canada, police services across Canada reported 874 homicides in 2022, 78 more than in the previous year, reports Xinhua news agency.

The national statistical agency added that homicides remain a rare event in the country, accounting for less than 0.2 per cent of all police-reported violent crimes in 2022.

The rate of homicide involving Indigenous victims remained disproportionately high, with 10.98 victims per 100,000 Indigenous people.

This was more than six times the homicide rate of non-Indigenous people, or 1.69 per 100,000, according to the national statistical agency.

Firearm-related homicides accounted for 41 per cent of all homicides in 2022, which was similar to the proportion in 2021.

Gang-related homicides were a large contributor to the overall national homicide increase, the agency said.

In 2022, five police officers were killed because of their occupation.

This latest figure is higher than the average for the previous 10 years of two police victims, and it is the highest number observed since 1985, Statistics Canada said.