Hate-crime murders of GLBT people in the US hit a record high in 2011, a report has shown.

The annual report, released yesterday by The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, showed 30 murders motivated by bias against GLBT and HIV-affected people took place last year in the US.

The number of murders was up from 27 in 2010 and is the largest number ever recorded by the coalition.

People of colour made up a majority of the victims – 87 percent – and 40 percent were transgender women.

But while the murder rate rose, there was a 16 percent decrease in overall incidents of hate-related violence –  a phenomenon which the coalition says could reflect a decrease in reporting rather than a decrease in actual crime.

Hate-related violence disproportionately affected young people – those aged 18 – 30 were more than twice as likely to experience it than those aged over 30, the report found.

The full report is available for download HERE.