Celebrating 25 years of the National DNA Data Bank
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June 30, 2025, proudly marks the 25th anniversary of the National DNA Data Bank of Canada, a cornerstone of forensic science and public safety since its establishment in 2000.
Over the past quarter-century, the National DNA Data Bank has played a critical role in supporting criminal and humanitarian investigations and enhancing public safety across the country. Its continued success is the result of strong collaboration with provincial and federal partners, forensic laboratories, police investigators, peace officers, medical examiners and coroners, and the broader criminal justice community across the country.
How the National DNA Data Bank works
The National DNA Data Bank of Canada operates as a centralized system that collects, stores, and compares DNA profiles to assist in criminal investigations and missing persons cases. It has become a key component of these types of investigations, saving time, money and resources to resolve cases using biological evidence. It assists investigators, coroners and medical examiners by helping to identify or eliminate suspects, link crimes together, determine if a serial offender is involved, identify the victim of a crime, identify human remains, and find missing persons. The National DNA Data Bank is governed by strict legislation under the DNA Identification Act, ensuring privacy, oversight, and accountability.
The National DNA Data Bank by the numbers (June 2025)
- Total number of DNA profiles in the Convicted Offender Index: 481,170
- Total number of DNA profiles in the Crime Scene Index: 247,197
- Total number of offender hits reported: 89,866
- Total number of forensic hits reported: 10,507
- Total number of human remains hits reported: 127
- Average number of matches made daily: 46
- Oldest crime for which a DNA profile is contained in the Crime Scene Index: 1964
- Oldest criminal case assisted through a match made by the Data Bank: 1976 homicide in British Columbia
- Oldest humanitarian case assisted through a match by the Data Bank: 1962 missing person in Yukon
- Highest number of hits to a single convicted offender DNA profile: 63
- Number of identical siblings DNA profiles (twins, triplets): 479
Milestones of Canada's National DNA Data Bank
2000
- June
- Launch of the National DNA Data Bank
- July
- First crime scene DNA profile received in CODIS
- November
- First forensic hit footnote 1
- December
- First offender hit footnote 2
2002
- April
- Signed agreement with INTERPOL to share DNA information with other countries
- May
- First international hit
2003
- September
- 1,000 offender hits
2006
- August
- 100,000 convicted offender profiles
2007
- February
- 1,000 forensic hits
2008
- August
- 10,000 offender hits
2010
- March
- 200,000 convicted offender profiles
2012
- December
- 25,000 offender hits
2017
- February
- 5,000 forensic hits
2018
- March
- Launch of the National Missing Persons DNA Program
- Creation of the Victims Index
- April
- 50,000 offender hits
- May
- First hit made to identify a victim of a designated offence
2019
- October
- First hit made to identify human remains submitted through the National Missing Persons DNA Program
2020
- February
- 400,000 convicted offender profiles
- October
- 1,000 humanitarian profiles contained in CODIS
2021
- August
- First international hit to identify a human remains
2024
- October
- 100 human remains hits footnote 3
2025
- February
- 10,000 forensic hits
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