Each year, around 30,000 people are reported missing in Australia—one person every 18 minutes.
In Australia, more than 38,000 missing persons reports are received by police each year. While most people are found within a short period of time, there remain approximately 2,600 long term missing persons; those who have been missing for more than three months.
“Sadly, they're not alone in their experience, in 2021, over 34,000 missing persons' reports in Australia related to children under 18.
Many people go missing every year, with the U.S. reporting the highest number. According to the NCIC, 521,705 were reported missing in 2021.
According to the NamUs database, there are 600,000 people declared missing every year. Alongside that statistic, there are 4,400 unidentified bodies discovered every year. That means only 0.7333% of people who go missing are found and unable to be identified.
It's rare for people to go missing for more than a day and almost three-quarters of them are found within 24 hours. As time goes on, the chance of them returning home safe gets slimmer, particularly if they are vulnerable.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons (NamUS) database, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 600,000 people go missing annually. Approximately 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered each year. Nationwide, there are roughly 6.5 missing persons for every 100,000 people.
Children under the age of 6 are most frequently targeted for family abductions and these often occur in the midst of bitter divorce or child custody battles between parents.
And one state stood out as the kidnap capital of Australia, according to crime data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released on Thursday. Out of the 453 kidnappings and abductions, the highest number, 210, were in New South Wales.
in crime and criminal justice
Each year, around 30,000 people are reported missing in Australia—one person every 18 minutes.
In 2020, there were more than 51,000 missing persons reports made to police in Australia, which is more than 140 on every day of the year.
Going missing is not a crime. If you have been reported as missing it means that someone is concerned about your safety and welfare. You can contact Crime Stoppers or police to let them know you are safe and well and your privacy will be maintained.
Mental Health
Mental health emerges as a consistent theme in many missing person cases in Australia. Depression and anxiety are the two most common conditions. Research also found that mental health was more associated with adults who had gone missing rather than young people.
In Australia, an estimated 20,000 children are reported missing every year. Australian Federal Police, National Coordination Centre.
Attempted abductions most often occur on the street while children are playing, walking, or riding bikes. Younger children are more likely to be playing or walking with a parent or an adult whereas school-age children are more likely to be walking alone or with peers.
According to the Australian Missing Persons Register, more than 150 children are abducted by a parent every year and many of these children are never located.
In most common law jurisdictions a missing person can be declared dead in absentia (or "legally dead") after seven years.
According to our research and experience, out of the half a million children that go missing every year in the United States, nearly all of them are found. That's 97.8%.
Anywhere between 89 percent to 92 percent of those missing people are recovered every year, either alive or deceased.