Spousal homicide rates have remained fairly stable between that period, averaging 17 victims per million couples per year. The lowest rates of spousal homicide are found in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, with the highest rates evident in the western provinces and the territories. While, on average, the ratio of women to men victims is 3.2 to 1, this varies considerably across the country. During the reporting period, a married woman was nine times as likely to be killed by her husband as by a stranger. Statistics show that separated husbands are more likely to kill their wives and that the risk of spousal homicide is greater in common-law marriages than in registered marriages. 4 figures, 2 tables, and 17 references