The material was grouped into relevant categories of prominent features of the murder and the number of background settings. The number of reported incidents were also examined in relation to the actual number of crimes categorized as homicide and manslaughter. Some of the specific problems encountered while working with statistical data are enumerated, particularly the different definitions of homicide and manslaughter in each country. This accounts for the difficulty in comparisons between each country. On the basis of these data, it is concluded that the situation in the Netherlands probably does not differ from that in other European countries. 2 notes and 40 references (Author abstract modified)