Sweden's development / Crime
Official crime statistics from the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå). Time series cover firearm violence, bombings, reported rapes, assault, robbery, lethal violence and the Police's classification of vulnerable areas. Changes in definition are noted beneath each chart.
2017–2025 · count/yr · Sweden
Gun violence – confirmed shootings: count/yr moves from 281 (2017) to 158 (2025) — down 123 count/yr. Full values are available in the data table below (2017–2025, Sweden).
| Year | count/yr |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 281 |
| 2018 | 325 |
| 2019 | 360 |
| 2020 | 379 |
| 2021 | 344 |
| 2022 | 391 |
| 2023 | 368 |
| 2024 | 296 |
| 2025 | 158 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Method: The Police's annual files 2017–2025 (the 2025 file dated 3 March 2026). The statistics are preliminary and may be revised. Earlier years are not in the series.
Source: Swedish Police Authority – Shootings per police region (annual files) (accessed 2026-10)
2017–2025 · count/yr · Sweden
Deaths in confirmed shootings: count/yr moves from 34 (2017) to 43 (2025) — up 9 count/yr. Full values are available in the data table below (2017–2025, Sweden).
| Year | count/yr |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 34 |
| 2018 | 43 |
| 2019 | 43 |
| 2020 | 47 |
| 2021 | 45 |
| 2022 | 62 |
| 2023 | 54 |
| 2024 | 44 |
| 2025 | 43 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Method: The Police's operational series. Brå's statistics on confirmed lethal violence with firearms are a different measure (e.g. 63 in 2022 at Brå vs 62 at the Police) and are not mixed in. 2025: 43 according to the annual file of 3 March 2026; the Police's January 2026 press release gave a preliminary 46.
Source: Swedish Police Authority – Shootings per police region (annual files), deaths (accessed 2026-10)
2018–2024 · count/yr · Sweden
Bombings and detonations: count/yr moves from 162 (2018) to 377 (2024) — up 215 count/yr. Full values are available in the data table below (2018–2024, Sweden).
| Year | count/yr |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 162 |
| 2019 | 257 |
| 2020 | 215 |
| 2021 | 175 |
| 2022 | 196 |
| 2023 | 392 |
| 2024 | 377 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Method: Brå's series of reported bombings (completed offences and attempts, using the offence code for public destruction by explosion). The Police Authority's operational series of detonations is reported separately and is not directly comparable. Levels before 2018 are not fully comparable because the Police only began reporting bombings separately then.
Source: Brå — Reported offences (public destruction by explosion) (accessed 2026-07)
1990–2025 · count/yr · Sweden
Confirmed cases of lethal violence: count/yr moves from 121 (1990) to 84 (2025) — down 37 count/yr. Full values are available in the data table below (1990–2025, Sweden).
| Year | count/yr |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 121 |
| 1995 | 109 |
| 2000 | 96 |
| 2005 | 83 |
| 2010 | 91 |
| 2015 | 112 |
| 2018 | 108 |
| 2020 | 124 |
| 2022 | 116 |
| 2023 | 121 |
| 2024 | 92 |
| 2025 | 84 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
1990–2024 · per 100,000 residents · Sweden
Reported rapes: per 100,000 residents moves from 16 (1990) to 94 (2024) — up 78 per 100,000 residents. Full values are available in the data table below (1990–2024, Sweden).
| Year | per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 16 |
| 1995 | 19 |
| 2000 | 23 |
| 2005 | 42 |
| 2010 | 64 |
| 2015 | 60 |
| 2018 | 78 |
| 2019 | 83 |
| 2020 | 90 |
| 2021 | 93 |
| 2022 | 92 |
| 2023 | 90 |
| 2024 | 94 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Method: The legal definition of sexual offences was broadened in 2005, 2013 and 2018; comparisons across these periods are not directly equivalent. Reporting propensity also affects the level.
Source: Brå – Reported offences, table 1.2 (per 100,000 of the mean population) (accessed 2026-11)
1990–2024 · per 100,000 residents · Sweden
Reported assault: per 100,000 residents moves from 475 (1990) to 845 (2024) — up 370 per 100,000 residents. Full values are available in the data table below (1990–2024, Sweden).
| Year | per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 475 |
| 1995 | 616 |
| 2000 | 663 |
| 2005 | 805 |
| 2010 | 937 |
| 2015 | 868 |
| 2020 | 802 |
| 2022 | 801 |
| 2023 | 821 |
| 2024 | 845 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Method: NOTE: The series spans legal changes that broadened the definition of assault: the introduction of gross violation of integrity and gross violation of a woman's integrity in 1998 (Swedish Penal Code 4:4a), and the 2013 change that lowered the threshold for repeated acts. Reporting propensity has also increased over time, especially for offences in close relationships. Comparisons between 1990 and 2024 therefore reflect both actual crime trends and changes in legislation and reporting culture. (The sexual-offence reforms of 1998, 2005 and 2018 affect the rape series, not this one.)
Source: Brå – Reported offences, table 1.2 (per 100,000 of the mean population) (accessed 2026-11)
1990–2024 · per 100,000 residents · Sweden
Reported robberies: per 100,000 residents moves from 70 (1990) to 45 (2024) — down 25 per 100,000 residents. Full values are available in the data table below (1990–2024, Sweden).
| Year | per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 70 |
| 1995 | 65 |
| 2000 | 101 |
| 2005 | 104 |
| 2010 | 98 |
| 2015 | 86 |
| 2020 | 85 |
| 2022 | 62 |
| 2023 | 61 |
| 2024 | 45 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Source: Brå – Reported offences, table 1.2 (per 100,000 of the mean population) (accessed 2026-11)
2016–2025 · reports · Sweden
Robbery against persons under 18: reports moves from 1,178 (2016) to 680 (2025) — down 498 reports. Full values are available in the data table below (2016–2025, Sweden).
| Year | reports |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 1,178 |
| 2017 | 1,524 |
| 2018 | 1,896 |
| 2019 | 2,489 |
| 2020 | 2,186 |
| 2021 | 1,623 |
| 2022 | 1,430 |
| 2023 | 1,452 |
| 2024 | 967 |
| 2025 | 680 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Method: NOTE: The increase in 2015–2019 coincided with markedly greater media and police attention to robberies of children, which probably increased reporting propensity. Both actual crime trends and reporting frequency contribute to the change in level and cannot be separated in reported-offence statistics.
Source: Brå – Reported offences, table 10 (robbery of a private person under 18, incl. aggravated) (accessed 2026-10)
2010–2024 · count/yr · Sweden
Reported burglaries: count/yr moves from 19,774 (2010) to 10,427 (2024) — down 9,347 count/yr. Full values are available in the data table below (2010–2024, Sweden).
| Year | count/yr |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 19,774 |
| 2015 | 22,752 |
| 2018 | 17,031 |
| 2020 | 14,674 |
| 2022 | 10,975 |
| 2023 | 10,809 |
| 2024 | 10,427 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Source: Brå – Reported offences, table 1.1 (residential burglary column) (accessed 2026-11)
2015–2025 · areas · Sweden
Areas classified as vulnerable by the Police: areas moves from 53 (2015) to 65 (2025) — up 12 areas. Full values are available in the data table below (2015–2025, Sweden).
| Year | areas |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 53 |
| 2017 | 61 |
| 2019 | 60 |
| 2021 | 61 |
| 2023 | 59 |
| 2025 | 65 |
Observed published official statistics with no processing of our own
Method: The sum of the Police's categories per situation report. In 2015–2023 'risk area' was included; the category was removed in the 2025 report (65 areas, of which 19 especially vulnerable). According to the Police, the increase 2023→2025 is because seven areas were split.
Source: Police Authority — Vulnerable areas status report (accessed 2026-10)
To put the figures in context, see population change and asylum immigration, 1990–2024. No conclusions are drawn for you — you see the raw data and draw your own.
