The number of police recorded homicides in England and Wales last year was 732 - the highest since 2008, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The number of homicides last year stood at its highest in any calendar year since 2007, when the total was 765.
In 2018 the number of police-recorded offences involving knives or sharp instruments in England and Wales also increased by 6%, according to the ONS.
There was also an 8% increase in overall theft offences, 11% increase in robbery.
The ONS state that: "The number of recorded robberies is disproportionately high in London, accounting for 40% of all recorded robberies."
The 732 homicides in 2018 marks a 6% increase from the 655 in 2017, however excluding the London and Manchester terrorist attacks, the number of homicides increased by 12%.
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In the year ending December 2018, 33% of all crime involving a knife or sharp instrument happened in London.
The figures come after a spate of knife crimes involving young people triggered a political row over cuts to police funding.
One of the latest killings was that of an 18-year-old man who was stabbed to death in the Harborne area on Birmingham on Wednesday evening.
Alexa Bradley from the Office for National Statistics Centre for Crime and Justice said: “When we look at the overall level of crime, there has been no significant change over the last year.
"However, it is important to look at each crime type separately because the picture is very mixed.
"Even within crime types we have seen differences.
"Robbery and vehicle offences have increased whereas burglary has decreased.
"Lower-volume high-harm violence involving knives has risen, whereas offences involving firearms have decreased.”
The crime survey covers the months between January 2018 and December 2018.
The term homicide includes murder, manslaughter, corporate manslaughter and infanticide.
