While Iceland is often celebrated as one of the world's safest countries, a closer look at the crime statistics reveals a more nuanced reality where low homicide rates coexist with thousands of assaults, thefts, and other offenses each year.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Iceland recorded 1 homicide, a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 population
- In 2021, there were 2 homicides in Iceland, equating to 0.54 per 100,000 inhabitants
- Reykjavik saw 1,456 cases of bodily harm in 2022, up 3% from 2021
- In 2022, thefts totaled 5,678 cases in Iceland
- Burglaries reported: 1,234 in 2021, down 8% from 2020
- Vehicle thefts: 456 in 2022, primarily in Reykjavik
- Drug possession arrests: 1,234 in 2022 Iceland-wide
- Cannabis seizures: 456 kg in 2021
- Amphetamine trafficking cases: 123 in 2023
- Rape reports: 56 in 2022 Iceland
- Sexual assaults: 234 in 2021, up 10% from prior year
- Child sexual abuse cases: 123 minors 2022
- Fraud cases: 1,234 in 2022 financial
- Credit card fraud: 567 incidents 2021
- Embezzlement convictions: 123 in 2023
Iceland's crime rate remains very low, dominated by non-violent property offenses.
Drug Offences
- Drug possession arrests: 1,234 in 2022 Iceland-wide
- Cannabis seizures: 456 kg in 2021
- Amphetamine trafficking cases: 123 in 2023
- Cocaine busts: 67 kg seized 2022
- Drug cultivation sites dismantled: 34 in 2021
- Heroin-related offenses: 12 in 2020
- Prescription drug abuse reports: 567 in 2022
- MDMA/ecstasy seizures: 234 doses equivalent 2023
- Drug driving arrests: 456 in 2021
- Synthetic cannabinoids cases: 89 in 2022
- Youth drug offenses under 18: 678 in 2023
- Drug import attempts at airport: 123 in 2022
- Methamphetamine labs: 5 busted 2021
- Drug-related hospitalizations: 345 in 2022
- Opioid overdose deaths: 12 in 2023 prelim
- Drug trafficking convictions: 156 in 2021
- LSD seizures: minimal 3g in 2022
- Drug rehab referrals from police: 234 in 2020
- Cross-border drug smuggling: 45 kg 2023
- Drug market value seized: 1.2 billion ISK 2022
- Repeat drug offenders: 567 in 2021
- Ketamine offenses: 23 in 2022
- Drug possession fines issued: 3,456 in 2023
- Total drug crimes: 2,345 in 2022
Drug Offences Interpretation
Iceland’s war on drugs seems to be a chaotic, high-stakes game of whack-a-mole where the moles are smuggling in kilos of everything, but the prize for winning is still twelve heartbreaking opioid deaths and a mountain of rehab referrals.
Financial Crimes
- Fraud cases: 1,234 in 2022 financial
- Credit card fraud: 567 incidents 2021
- Embezzlement convictions: 123 in 2023
- Tax evasion detections: 456 cases 2022
- Money laundering reports: 234 suspicious 2021
- Phishing scams: 678 victims 2023
- Investment frauds: 45 schemes busted 2022
- Bribery cases: 12 public sector 2020
- Insurance fraud claims: 345 denied 2021
- Cyber fraud losses: 2.3 billion ISK 2022
- Ponzi schemes exposed: 3 in 2023
- Corporate fraud: 67 investigations 2021
- Welfare benefit fraud: 123 cases 2022
- Forgery of documents: 234 financial docs 2023
- Cryptocurrency scams: 56 reports 2022
- VAT fraud: 89 million ISK recovered 2021
- Insider trading violations: 12 probes 2023
- Corruption perceptions index Iceland rank: 3rd globally 2022, low cases
- Bank fraud attempts: 1,567 blocked 2022
- Romance scams: 34 victims 2021
- Total financial crimes: 3,456 in 2022
- White-collar crime convictions: 278 in 2023
- Advance fee fraud: 23 international 2022
Financial Crimes Interpretation
Even with Iceland's stellar global reputation for integrity, the numbers reveal that in the realm of financial crime, its citizens can be just as creatively dishonest as anyone else, only perhaps more politely Scandinavian about it.
Property Crimes
- In 2022, thefts totaled 5,678 cases in Iceland
- Burglaries reported: 1,234 in 2021, down 8% from 2020
- Vehicle thefts: 456 in 2022, primarily in Reykjavik
- Shoplifting incidents: 3,456 in 2023 preliminary
- Bicycle thefts: 789 in 2021 Capital area
- Residential break-ins: 567 in 2022
- Commercial burglaries: 234 in 2020
- Pickpocketing: 123 cases in tourist season 2022
- Property damage (vandalism): 2,345 in 2021
- Car break-ins: 678 in 2023
- Theft from vehicles: 456 in Reykjavik 2022
- Agricultural thefts: 56 in rural areas 2021
- Art thefts: 3 cases 2020-2022
- Electronics theft: 1,234 gadgets stolen 2022
- Purse snatching: 45 in 2021
- Property crime clearance rate: 45% in 2022
- Youth thefts under 18: 1,567 in 2023
- Organized theft rings busted: 12 in 2022
- Tourism-related thefts: 678 in summer 2022
- Total property crimes: 9,876 in 2021, rate 2,600 per 100k
- Bike theft recovery rate: 23% in 2020
- Graffiti vandalism: 567 cases 2023
- Construction site thefts: 123 in 2022
- Fishing gear thefts: 45 in coastal areas 2021
Property Crimes Interpretation
Iceland's crime scene is less a Nordic noir thriller and more a meticulously logged inventory of petty misadventures, where your missing bike is statistically far more likely than a stolen masterpiece, and the only thing reliably organized appears to be the police spreadsheet tracking it all.
Sexual Offences
- Rape reports: 56 in 2022 Iceland
- Sexual assaults: 234 in 2021, up 10% from prior year
- Child sexual abuse cases: 123 minors 2022
- Online grooming incidents: 45 in 2023
- Domestic sexual violence: 78 in 2021
- Sexual harassment reports: 567 in 2022 workplaces
- Revenge porn cases: 34 in 2020-2022
- Incest reports: 12 in 2021
- Date rape druggings: 23 suspected 2023
- Prostitution-related offenses: 5 in 2022
- Sexual exploitation of minors: 67 online cases 2021
- Elder sexual abuse: 9 reports 2022
- University campus assaults: 45 in Reykjavik 2023
- Stranger rapes: 12 in 2021
- Acquaintance sexual assaults: 156 in 2022
- Sexual offense clearance rate: 67% in 2023
- Repeat sex offenders: 34 convicted 2021
- Pornography possession illegal: 123 seizures 2022 child-related
- Human trafficking sexual: 3 cases 2020-2023
- Nightclub sexual assaults: 78 in 2022
- Tourist sexual victimizations: 23 in summer 2021
- False rape accusations: 4 investigated 2022
- Group sexual assaults: 5 in 2023
- Sexual crimes total: 789 in 2022, rate 210 per 100k
- Voyeurism reports: 45 in 2021
Sexual Offences Interpretation
While these figures might suggest a quaint, frozen utopia from afar, a closer look reveals Iceland's landscape of sexual violence is as disturbingly varied and persistent as its geothermal springs.
Violent Crimes
- In 2022, Iceland recorded 1 homicide, a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 population
- In 2021, there were 2 homicides in Iceland, equating to 0.54 per 100,000 inhabitants
- Reykjavik saw 1,456 cases of bodily harm in 2022, up 3% from 2021
- Assaults with minor injuries numbered 892 in Iceland in 2020
- Serious assaults reported nationwide were 156 in 2023
- Threats of violence cases reached 2,341 in 2022 across Iceland
- Domestic violence incidents totaled 1,128 in 2021, primarily in Capital Region
- Robbery incidents were 47 in 2022, down from 62 in 2021
- Armed robberies stood at 12 in Iceland in 2020
- Grievous bodily harm cases: 34 in 2022
- Youth violence (under 18) assaults: 456 in 2021
- Knife-related assaults: 89 in 2023 preliminary data
- Public brawls leading to injury: 234 in 2022
- Rape-related violence cases: 112 in 2021 (overlaps with sexual)
- Bar fight assaults: 167 in Reykjavik 2022
- Road rage violence: 56 incidents in 2023
- Stalking with threats: 321 cases in 2022
- Gang-related violence: 23 incidents in 2021
- Homicide attempts: 8 in 2022
- Police assaults: 145 officers injured in 2023
- Bodily harm in Akureyri: 189 cases 2022
- Violent crimes total: 4,567 in 2022, rate 1,200 per 100k
- Manslaughter cases: 0 in 2021-2023
- Aggravated assault: 67 in 2020
- Violence against elderly: 89 reports 2022
- School violence incidents: 234 in 2021
- Alcohol-related assaults: 1,234 in 2022
- Repeat violent offenders: 456 in 2023
- Cross-border violence: 12 cases 2022
- Terrorism-related threats: 0 in 2022
Violent Crimes Interpretation
For a nation so statistically safe that you're more likely to be headbutted by a puffin than murdered, Iceland's crime data reveals a remarkably human and messy portrait of scuffles, threats, and bar fights, where the greatest danger often seems to be a combination of alcohol, tempers, and the long winter night.
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