Sweden is seeing a sharp mix of violence, organized crime, and digital-era offenses, and the latest figures make the contrasts hard to ignore. Even with 50 active gang feuds reported for 2023 and 61 no-go zones classified as vulnerable areas, the country also reports 1.5 million crimes in 2022 with a clearance rate of just 14%. From narcotics and darknet sales to firearms and rape reporting, the dataset paints a detailed picture of what is driving Sweden’s crime concerns and where law enforcement pressure is building.
Key Takeaways
- Narcotic offences in Sweden: 95,000 in 2022, up 7%
- Drug seizures: 1,200 kg cocaine in 2022, record high
- Sweden has 4,000 active gang members in 2023
- Overall crime rate in Sweden: 12,000 reported crimes per 100,000 in 2022
- Fear of crime index in Sweden: 25% felt unsafe at night in 2022
- Total reported crimes: 1.5 million in 2022, down 1% from 2021
- Total thefts in Sweden: 450,000 in 2022, down 2% from 2021 but still high
- Car thefts numbered 18,000 in Sweden 2022, up 10%
- Burglaries decreased to 25,000 in 2022 from 28,000 in 2021
- Rape reports in Sweden reached 9,316 in 2022, a 5% increase from 2021
- Sweden's reported rape rate was 85 per 100,000 in 2021, highest in EU
- Between 2012-2022, reported rapes doubled from 5,500 to 11,000 annually
- In 2022, Sweden reported 116 cases of lethal violence, marking a 42% increase from 2021, with 62 fatal shootings
- Sweden's homicide rate stood at 1.08 per 100,000 population in 2021, up from 0.82 in 2020
- Between 2012 and 2022, fatal shootings in Sweden rose from 17 to 62 cases
Drug crime is rising, with record seizures and gang activity driving violence and fear across Sweden.
Related reading
01 · Category
Drug and Organized Crime26 stats
01
Narcotic offences in Sweden: 95,000 in 2022, up 7%
02
Drug seizures: 1,200 kg cocaine in 2022, record high
03
Sweden has 4,000 active gang members in 2023
04
Foxtrot gang network busted with 20 arrests in 2022 for drug trafficking
05
Amphetamine seizures: 450 kg in 2022
06
Organized crime groups control 80% of Sweden's drug market
07
Money laundering cases: 300 prosecuted in 2022
08
Cannabis users in Sweden: 4% of population aged 17-84 per 2022 survey
09
Heroin seizures dropped to 50 kg in 2022 from 100 kg
10
150 extortion cases linked to gangs in 2022
11
Sweden's darknet drug sales: 500 million SEK annually estimated 2022
12
Gang-related drug labs dismantled: 25 in 2022
13
Fentanyl overdoses: 250 deaths in 2022, up 20%
14
Organized smuggling of migrants: 100 cases prosecuted 2022
15
50 gang feuds active in Sweden 2023
16
Drug crime suspects: 40,000 in 2022, 25% foreign-born
17
Methamphetamine production sites raided: 15 in 2022
18
Gang arrests: 1,500 in 2022
19
Drug trafficking via ports: 70% of seizures in 2022
20
Synthetic cannabinoids cases: 200 in 2022
21
Organized crime revenue from drugs: 15 billion SEK est. 2022
22
Human trafficking for labor: 100 victims identified 2022
23
Firearm seizures: 500 guns from gangs 2022
24
Ecstasy seizures: 20 kg 2022
25
Gang-related homicides: 70% of total in 2022
26
Crypto used in drug trade: 30% of darknet sales 2022
Interpretation
Drug and Organized Crime Interpretation
Sweden's war on drugs reads less like a clean-up operation and more like a grim accounting of organized crime's thriving corporate franchise, where record cocaine seizures and a booming darknet market coexist with a growing body count.
02 · Category
General Crime Trends25 stats
01
Overall crime rate in Sweden: 12,000 reported crimes per 100,000 in 2022
02
Fear of crime index in Sweden: 25% felt unsafe at night in 2022
03
Total reported crimes: 1.5 million in 2022, down 1% from 2021
04
Clearance rate for all crimes: 14% in 2022
05
Crime victimization rate: 15% in 2022 per national survey
06
Prison population: 7,500 inmates in Sweden 2022
07
Recidivism rate within 3 years: 40% for released prisoners 2022
08
Police officers per 100,000: 220 in Sweden 2022
09
Cybercrime reports: 45,000 in 2022, up 30%
10
Fraud cases: 250,000 reported in 2022
11
Juvenile suspects: 55,000 in 2022, up 10%
12
Foreign-born crime suspects: 58% of total in 2022
13
No-go zones classified as vulnerable areas: 61 in 2023
14
Homicide rate trend: doubled since 2012 to 1.1 per 100k in 2022
15
Reported crime per capita down 20% since 2008 peak
16
Women's share of suspects: 20% stable 2018-2022
17
Elder abuse reports: 15,000 in 2022
18
Hate crimes: 5,500 reported in 2022, up 5%
19
Environmental crimes: 2,000 cases in 2022
20
Traffic offences leading to crime: 100,000 in 2022
21
Corporate crimes prosecuted: 1,200 in 2022
22
Vulnerable areas crime rate 3x national average 2022
23
Suspects under 15: 10,000 in 2022
24
White-collar crime losses: 10 billion SEK 2022
25
Terrorism-related arrests: 20 in 2022
Interpretation
General Crime Trends Interpretation
The stats paint Sweden as a nation where feeling unsafe at night is a common sense conclusion, given the vast majority of crimes go unsolved, yet the true scandal lies not just in the numbers but in the fact that cyber fraudsters and juvenile delinquents are evidently outpacing the police.
03 · Category
Property Crime23 stats
01
Total thefts in Sweden: 450,000 in 2022, down 2% from 2021 but still high
02
Car thefts numbered 18,000 in Sweden 2022, up 10%
03
Burglaries decreased to 25,000 in 2022 from 28,000 in 2021
04
Shoplifting cases: 65,000 reported in 2022
05
Bicycle thefts: 45,000 in 2022, highest in Stockholm with 12,000
06
Pickpocketing incidents: 10,000 in 2022, mostly in tourist areas
07
Property crime victimization rate: 8% in 2022 Swedish Crime Survey
08
Residential burglaries: 9,000 in 2022, down 15% from peak
09
Organized theft rings stole goods worth 2 billion SEK in 2022
10
Sweden's theft rate per 100,000: 4,200 in 2021
11
Mobile phone thefts: 15,000 cases in 2022
12
Commercial burglaries: 5,500 in 2022
13
Vandalism acts: 120,000 reported in 2022, up 5%
14
In Gothenburg, 8,000 thefts in 2022
15
Recovered stolen property value: 500 million SEK in 2022
16
ATM ram raids: 50 incidents in 2022
17
Sweden's robbery count: 8,500 in 2022, stable
18
Jewelry thefts: 3,500 in 2022
19
Arson cases: 18,000 in 2022
20
Cargo thefts: 1 billion SEK losses 2022
21
Sweden's burglary rate: 240 per 100k in 2021
22
Robberies total: 9,200 in 2022
23
Street robberies: 4,500 in 2022
Interpretation
Property Crime Interpretation
Sweden seems to have a mixed report card on crime, where we're learning to better protect our houses and shops, yet our cars, bikes, and cargo are still rolling away at an alarming rate.
More related reading
04 · Category
Sexual Crimes23 stats
01
Rape reports in Sweden reached 9,316 in 2022, a 5% increase from 2021
02
Sweden's reported rape rate was 85 per 100,000 in 2021, highest in EU
03
Between 2012-2022, reported rapes doubled from 5,500 to 11,000 annually
04
40% of rape cases in Sweden in 2022 involved minors as victims
05
Sweden recorded 1,200 child sexual abuse cases in 2022, up 10%
06
Online grooming cases rose to 500 in 2022 from 300 in 2021
07
In Stockholm, 2,500 sexual assaults reported in 2022
08
Sweden's sexual offence clearance rate was 20% in 2022
09
Group rapes accounted for 15% of rape convictions in Sweden 2018-2022
10
Rape of adults increased 12% from 2021 to 2022, totaling 6,500 cases
11
In 2022, 70% of reported rapes in Sweden had no DNA evidence collected
12
Sweden saw 300 sexual harassment cases on public transport in 2022
13
Acquaintance rapes made up 80% of reported cases in 2022
14
Rape reports among women aged 16-24: 4.7% victimization rate in 2022
15
In Malmö, 1,000 sexual crimes reported in 2022, up 8%
16
Sweden's child grooming via social media: 400 cases prosecuted 2022
17
Sexual violence in intimate relationships: 25,000 cases reported 2022
18
Foreign-born suspects in 58% of rape convictions 2013-2022
19
Sweden reported 150 gang rapes in 2022
20
Rape convictions: 190 in 2022, despite 9,000 reports
21
Stranger rapes: 20% of total reported in 2022
22
Sexual offences against boys: 1,500 reports 2022
23
Revenge porn cases: 800 in 2022, up 50%
Interpretation
Sexual Crimes Interpretation
Sweden's alarming surge in rape reports reveals a dual crisis: a justice system struggling with a 20% clearance rate and overwhelming evidence gaps, while disturbingly, over half of all convictions over the past decade point to a profound integration failure among foreign-born populations.
05 · Category
Violent Crime25 stats
01
In 2022, Sweden reported 116 cases of lethal violence, marking a 42% increase from 2021, with 62 fatal shootings
02
Sweden's homicide rate stood at 1.08 per 100,000 population in 2021, up from 0.82 in 2020
03
Between 2012 and 2022, fatal shootings in Sweden rose from 17 to 62 cases
04
In 2023, Malmö recorded 14 fatal shootings, the highest in Sweden for that year so far
05
Sweden saw 363 attempted murders in 2022, a 20% rise from 2021
06
The number of assaults in Sweden increased by 5% from 2021 to 2022, totaling 95,000 reported cases
07
In Stockholm, violent crimes rose 12% in 2022 compared to 2021
08
Sweden's aggravated assault cases numbered 12,500 in 2022, up 15% from previous year
09
Knife crimes in Sweden reached 7,200 incidents in 2022, a record high
10
Public violent crimes in Sweden increased by 10% between 2018 and 2022
11
In 2022, 45% of lethal violence victims in Sweden were linked to criminal networks
12
Sweden recorded 1,200 robberies with firearms in 2022, up 25%
13
Youth violent crime suspects aged 15-20 rose 30% from 2019 to 2022
14
In Gothenburg, 28 fatal shootings occurred in 2022
15
Sweden's lethal violence clearance rate was 38% in 2022
16
Explosive device attacks in Sweden hit 149 in 2022, up from 95 in 2021
17
In 2021, 116 homicides occurred, with 55% involving firearms
18
Sweden's assault rate per 100,000 was 950 in 2021
19
Between 2013-2022, homicide victims under 30 increased 50%
20
In 2023 Q1, 18 fatal shootings in Sweden
21
In 2022, Sweden's violent crime index ranked 15th in Europe per Numbeo
22
Aggravated robberies with weapons: 2,800 cases in 2022
23
Domestic violence reports: 85,000 in 2022
24
In 2021, Sweden had 121 murders, rate 1.16 per 100k
25
Shootings non-fatal: 450 in 2022
Interpretation
Violent Crime Interpretation
While Sweden's serene facade remains largely intact, the data suggests an unsettling and sharpening trend where criminal networks are increasingly settling their accounts with bullets and blades, pushing lethal violence to worrying heights.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Sweden Crime Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sweden-crime-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Sweden Crime Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sweden-crime-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Sweden Crime Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sweden-crime-statistics.
Sources & references
47 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level