Almost one in four children aged 10 to 15 has been a victim of crime in the past year, it was revealed today.
A total of 2,153,000 crimes of theft and violence took place against under 16s in 2009, the Home Office said.
A pilot extension of the British Crime Survey to include younger people found 24% were victims of crime.
The snapshot findings unveil the potential extent of crime against young people for the first time.
A report found children are more at risk of personal crimes, such as robbery, assault and theft, than adults.
But they are far less likely to report their experiences, with just over one in 10 (11%) going to police, compared with 37% of adults.
Researchers said if all the crimes were added to annual figures, the total level of crime in England and Wales would soar by more than a fifth (22%).
But they warned the figures may overstate the level of crime among young people because many incidents may not be classified as crimes by ordinary people.
For example, the research included many incidents at school and in the home, such playground fights and theft of toys, which some may not consider to be a legal matter.
The study highlighted how the number dropped drastically if incidents at school were excluded, meaning victims “perceived” only 404,000 crimes in the same period.
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