The crime rate in Sweden was around 15,000 per 100,000 inhabitants from 2010 to 2020. However it fell in both 2021 and 2022. The total number of crimes also decreased in 2021.

Increased use of firearms

While Sweden usually is perceived as a peaceful country to live in, it has received unwanted attention in recent years for increasing gang violence and incidents involving the use of firearms. In 2022, the country recorded its highest number of shootings and its highest number of fatal-shootings.

The perpetrators

A high majority of the crime suspects in Sweden are men. In 2021, more than three in four crime suspects were men. In terms of age, 30-49-year-olds made up the highest share of suspects.

In 2022, there was a reduction in theft crimes by 11 percent compared to 10 years ago. On the other hand, the number of property damage cases increased by five percent and fraud crimes by three percent. In 2022, around 1.5 million crimes were committed in Sweden.

Types of crime

The most common crime in Sweden in 2022 was theft crime, which accounted for 27 percent of all crimes. Crimes against people was the second largest type of crime, which accounted for 20 percent of all crimes. On the other hand, traffic crimes made up only five percent of the crimes committed in Sweden that year.

 Theft crimes

While theft crimes made up the largest share of reported crimes, only one percent reported to have been victims of thefts in Sweden. On the other hand, eight percent reported to have been threatened at some point.

The number of reported violent crimes in Sweden increased from 2014 to 2021, before falling slightly in 2022 and 2023. Overall, 1.45 million crimes were reported in Sweden in 2023.

In 2023, there were almost 53,000 men suspected of crimes against another person. Comparably, around 14,000 women were suspected of the same crime. Moreover, around 9,000 women were suspected of narcotics offenses, compared to nearly 47,000 men.

The number of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in Sweden fluctuated over the past 20 years, but was usually around one. It was at its lowest in 2012, when 0.71 homicides per 100,000 inhabitant were registered, and at its highest in 2007 and 2020, reaching 1.2. In 2023, the homicide rate stood at 1.15. That year, 124 homicides were reported in Sweden.

In 2022, the most common self-reported type of crime in Sweden was threats. 7.8 percent of Swedes reported that they had been victims of threats that year, which was slightly less than the year before. Moreover, the share of Swedes who reported that they had been victims of sexual abuse increased by over four percentage points from 2014 to 2018, but decreased in the following years, dropping to 4.5 percent in 2022.

In 2022, robberies and thefts was the type of crime reported most often in Sweden. That year, there were registered over 390,000 cases of robberies and theft. Graffiti and vandalism was the second most reported type of crime in Sweden, followed by fraud and counterfeiting. That year, there were registered 395 homicides or violence causing death in Sweden.

The region with highest number of homicides in Sweden in 2022 was the region of Stockholm, where 38 deaths by homicide were registered. Region South ranked second by number of homicides, with Region West following in third. The lowest number of homicides were recorded in the Northern Region and Region Bergslagen. The number of homicides in Sweden was roughly the same in 2021 as in 2022.

The number of crimes in Sweden increased slightly from 2011 to 2020, showing an increase of around 10 percent. However, it fell in both 2021 and 2022, dropping to 1.45 million reported cases. Robbery and theft was the most reported type of crime in the country.

After having decreased from 2012 to 2016, the number of crime suspects in Sweden increased again on an annual basis until 2020, before falling slightly again the following years. Moreover, a significant majority of the suspects are men. In 2022, over 146,000 of the 189,185 crime suspects in Sweden were men.

More than half of students admit to committing crime during the past 12 months. Each documented year, almost 40 percent state that they have participated in theft.

The crime rate in Stockholm fluctuated somewhat between 2000 and 2022. It stood at 20,000 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2000 compared to 19,600 in 2022. It was at its highest in 2016, when it reached 24,000 per 100,000 inhabitants. This was also the year that the total number of reported crimes was it at highest during the period.

The number of confirmed homicides in Sweden over the last 10 years peaked in 2020, when 124 homicides were registered. The number jumped from 2014 to 2015, but has remained just above 100 since. In 2023, 121 homicides were confirmed in Sweden. A significant majority of the victims were men.

In 2022, more than half of the identified hate crimes were motivated by xenophobia and racism, 17 percent of these were Afrophobic. Out of the hate crimes, 16 percent were directed towards different religious groups, with Islamophobia representing eight percent of these incidents. Hate crimes against LGBTQIA+ individuals accounted for 12 percent of the reported incidents.

Since 2014, Sweden has the highest rate of reported serious assaults of the Nordic countries. In 2022, 44.4 serious assaults per 100,000 citizens were reported in the country, compared to 38.8 in Iceland in second. Sweden has experienced increasing problems with gang violence in recent years.

In 2022, the number of shootings in Sweden reached 391, the highest observed in the period between 2017 and 2023. In 2023, the number fell slightly. Moreover, 53 of the 363 shootings that year were fatal, nine fewer than the previous year.

Rising gang-related violence

Sweden has experienced a rising number of shooting episodes related to the country's criminal gangs in recent years. The violence has usually been concentrated to the larger cities Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, but recently also smaller towns have experienced episodes of shooting and even bombings. Indeed, There has been a steady increase in homicides through shootings over the past decade.

Violent crime in Sweden

Overall, Sweden's total number of homicides increased from 2012 to 2014, but remained relatively stable since, reaching 116 in 2022. The country's crime rate reached 13,800 per 100,000 inhabitants that year.

43 percent of the crime suspects in Sweden in 2022 were between 15 and 29 years old. Of these, 18 percent were between 15 and 20 years. Moreover, 39 percent of the suspects were between 30 and 49 years. A significant majority of the suspects are men.

In 2023, the largest share of crimes reported in Sweden were theft crimes. One fourth of the crimes reported in the country that year were theft crimes. Crimes against people was the second most reported type of crime with 20 percent. Traffic crimes represented the smallest share of the crimes in Sweden that year.

For the first time, more than half of Swedes worried about crime in the country to a large extent in 2023. The share increased gradually from 2014. Sweden has experienced increasing levels of gang-related violence recently, including bombings.

In 2022, the highest number of people sentenced to imprisonment in Sweden were convicted in relation to drug-related crimes. Over 3,000 of the 10,298 people sentenced to jail that year had committed a drug-related crime. Except for crimes categorized as other crimes, theft crimes were the second most common crime committed by those sentence to prison that year. Looking at the reported crimes, the share of theft crimes was significantly higher than the share of drug-related crimes reported that year.