# Shoplifting made up 86.6% of Scotland's recorded-crime rise

In the Scottish Government's current comparable table, police-recorded crimes rose by **30,861** between the years ending June 2023 and June 2026. Shoplifting accounted for **26,718** of that difference, or **86.6%**. The remaining total rose from **262,468** to **266,611**, or **+1.6%**.

For anyone reading a crime headline, the page splits the total numerically without turning a share into a cause. The next question is what sits inside the remainder, and why 2023 is used.

Source: [Scottish Government, Recorded Crime in Scotland, year ending June 2026](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-june-2026/pages/main-findings/) and [Table 1](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-june-2026/documents/). Geography: all Scotland. Period: 12 months to June. Measure: police-recorded crimes, not all crime.

## The total hides two different movements

- Total: **292,670 → 323,531**, **+30,861**
- Shoplifting: **30,202 → 56,920**, **+26,718**
- Derived remainder: **262,468 → 266,611**, **+4,143**

The formula is `remainder = recorded total − shoplifting`.

## The share shifts

Shoplifting represented **10.3%** of the recorded total in 2023 and **17.6%** in 2026. That is a change in share, not a causal explanation.

## 2023 is a benchmark, not a verdict

The year ending June 2023 is the first complete period after the final legal COVID restrictions ended in April 2022. It is not a permanent “normal” baseline.

The 2023 bulletin printed a total of **292,702**. The current 2026 Table 1 uses **292,670** for the same period after the historical extraction used for year-to-year comparison. This page uses the current value; the difference is 32 crimes.

## What “recorded” means

The series describes crimes that entered police records. The count can reflect reporting, recording practice, classification, and whether records are later cancelled or reclassified.

You can read the decomposition of an administrative total. You cannot infer all incidents, the causes of the change, risk to a particular shop, or the experience of a particular person.

## The full calculation

| Year ending June | Total | Shoplifting | Derived remainder |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 2022 | 285,975 | 24,877 | 261,098 |
| 2023 | 292,670 | 30,202 | 262,468 |
| 2024 | 300,078 | 40,554 | 259,524 |
| 2025 | 303,343 | 47,381 | 255,962 |
| 2026 | 323,531 | 56,920 | 266,611 |

For the share of the increase: `26,718 ÷ 30,861 × 100 = 86.575…%`, displayed as **86.6%**. For the remainder: `4,143 ÷ 262,468 × 100 = 1.578…%`, displayed as **1.6%**.

## Limits

Police record reported crimes; the series is not a measure of all crime or all victims. “Remainder” is a subtraction from the total, not a new official category. This project stays at aggregate level and identifies no people, victims, shops or locations.

## Sources

- [2026 headline findings](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-june-2026/pages/main-findings/)
- [2026 supporting documents, including Table 1](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-june-2026/documents/)
- [2026 data and methodology](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-year-ending-june-2026/pages/data-and-methodology/)
- [2022-23 bulletin context](https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/pages/main-findings/)

The next check is planned for the next Scottish bulletin that revises Table 1, or 28 November 2026, whichever comes first.