Reported offences

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Total number of reported offences

In 2023 1,511,882 offences were reported to the police, the customs authority or the prosecution service. This represents an increase of 64,412 reported offences compared to figures for 2022.

In particular, an increase was noted in the offence category for fraud and other acts of dishonesty. The type of crimes included in fraud, for which the number of reported offences increased the most between 2022 and 2023, were payment card fraud and fraud by means of social manipulation. During the same period, the number of reported offences decreased in the category of theft offences. The types of offences in the category that decreased most were bicycle theft and theft out of a motor vehicle.

Since 2014, the number of reported offences has increased by 68,129 (+5 %). Since 1975, the trend in the total number of reported offences has been characterised by a continuous increase. However, the rate of increase, i.e. the percentage change over time, was strongest to the end of the 1990s, the rate of increase after that was lower, until another increase started in the mid-2000s. The increase has occurred across the majority of offence categories during the period between 1975 and 2014. Reported car crimes including vehicle theft and theft out of and from a motor vehicle, however, have fallen since 1975, and are thus exceptions to this general trend. The number of reported assaults, including aggravated assaults, has increased four-fold since 1975 and the number of reported sexual offences has undergone a seven-fold increase.

Reported crimes against the person are numerically dominated by assaults, unlawful threats and non-sexual molestation. Over the course of 2023, a total of 86,466 assault offences were reported, which constitutes an increase of 3 per cent by comparison with the figures of 2022. A total of 30,559 assaults on women aged 18 years or over were reported which is an increase of 5 per cent by comparison with the figures of 2022. In addition, there were a total of 1,137 reported cases of gross violation of a woman’s integrity. The number of reported assaults against men aged 18 years or over amounted to 30,652 offences which was an increase of 1 per cent since the previous year.

In 2023 the total number of reported sexual offences were 24,278 which represents a decrease of 2 per cent since 2022. There was a 2 per cent decrease in the number of reported rape offences, with 9,476 rapes being registered in 2023. The number of reported crimes of sexual molestation decreased by 6 per cent by comparison with the figures of 2022, to 9,596 cases.

In 2023 381,041 theft offences were reported, which represents a decrease of 11,703 reported offences in relation to the figure for the previous year. This category of crimes accounts for 25 per cent of the total number of reported offences. Subsequent to this point, the number of theft offences has declined. There were 7,886 car thefts reported in 2023, along with 56,587 thefts out of motor vehicles. The number of car thefts declined by 3 per cent, and the number of thefts out of motor vehicles decreased with 6 per cent compared with the figures for 2022.

In 2023, the number of reported robberies decreased with 1 per cent compared with the number reported in 2022, with 6,402 reported offences being registered. Muggings, which comprise approximately 84 per cent of reported robbery offences, decreased by 2 per cent to 5,384 in 2023. A total of 350 robberies of shops and stores were reported in 2023, which constitutes a decrease of 11 per cent by comparison with 2022. No bank robberies were reported in 2023 and 2022. A total of 3,871 incidents of violence against public servants (police, security officers etc.) were reported in 2023, this was a decrease of 6 per cent compared with the number reported in 2022. A total of about 10,809 residential burglaries were reported in 2023, which constitutes a decrease of 2 per cent. The number of reported fraud offences increased by 22 per cent since last year, with 238,371 offences being reported.

Reported criminal damage offences increased by a total of 4 per cent, to 218,768 crimes.

In addition, reported drug offences decreased by 1 per cent by comparison with the figures for 2022, to 112,297 reported offences. During the year a total of 65,535 road traffic offences were reported, which is a decrease by 5 per cent compared to 2022.

Murder and manslaughter

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Murder, manslaughter, and assault with a lethal outcome are usually jointly designated lethal violence. In 2023, 121 cases of lethal violence were confirmed in Sweden. The average of lethal violence for the last ten years (2014-2023) is 111 cases per year.

Lethal violence

In 2023, 121 cases of lethal violence were confirmed in Sweden. This can be seen from the statistic regarding confirmed cases of lethal violence. This is an increase by 5 cases, as compared with 2022.

Since 2002, when Brå started producing the statistics, the level of confirmed cases of lethal violence has fluctuated between 68 and 124 cases. Up until 2012, the development of the number of cases was marked by an overall downward trend with relatively large variations from year to year. From 2013 onwards, the number of cases has been at a higher level than in previous years, which has broken the downward trend.

Sex

In 2023, the victim was a female in 33 cases (27 per cent) and a male in 88 cases (73 per cent). Compared to 2022, the number of female victims increased with 10 cases in 2023, while the number of male victims decreased by 5 cases.

In relation to the population, the number of confirmed cases of lethal violence was 1.15 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, a slightly higher level than in 2022 (1.11). The number of female victims per 100,000 female inhabitants was higher in 2023 (0.63) compared with 2022 (0.44), while the number of male victims per 100,000 male inhabitants was lower in 2023 (1.66) compared with 2022 (1.76).

Against someone in close relationship (partner or ex-partner)

In 10 cases of the confirmed cases of lethal violence in 2023, victims and perpetrators were related by a close relationship (partner or ex-partner), which accounted for 8 per cent of all cases of lethal violence. In 2022, the corresponding number was also 10 cases (9 per cent).

The number of cases of lethal violence against women in a close relationship in 2023 amounted to 10 cases, which equals to 30 per cent of all cases of lethal violence with female victims during the year. The corresponding number for male victims in a close relationship in 2023 was zero cases.

Use of firearms

In 2023, firearms were used in 53 of the observed cases of lethal violence, 10 less than in 2022, which corresponded to 45 percent of all observed cases of lethal violence in 2023. Meanwhile, the number of cases of lethal violence without using firearms increased with 15 cases, from 53 cases in 2022 to 68 cases in 2023.

In the cases where a firearm was used 2023, the victim was a male in 87 per cent of the cases (46 cases), and in 7 cases the victim was a female (13 per cent). The sex ratio for male victims in the cases where a firearm was used has been pending between 85 to 98 per cent, with an average of 93 per cent during the period 2014-2023.

Regional breakdown

The majority (72 cases, corresponded to 60 per cent) of the confirmed cases of lethal violence in 2023 were reported in one of the major metropolitan police regions of Stockholm, Väst and Syd. This level has fluctuated between 60 and 75 per cent during the years 2014-2023.

Processed offences

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Processed offences

1,517,058 offences were processed in Sweden in 2023, which represents an increase of 4% (+59 549 processed offences) by comparison with the figure for 2022. Of the investigated offences 28% were person-based cleared during 2023, which is the same rate compared with the result of 2022.

Processed offences 2023 Pdf, 273 kB.

Persons suspected of offences

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Persons suspected of offences

In 2022, 189,678 persons were suspected of offences, which was 1 per cent lower than in 2021. In comparison with 2013, the total number of suspects has increased by 8 per cent in 2022.

Persons suspected of offences 2022 Pdf, 114 kB.

Processed offences linked to a suspect

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Processed offences linked to a suspect

During 2022, 539,262 offences linked to a suspect were processed, which is a decrease of 44,856 (−8 %) in comparison with 2021. Since 2013, the number of processed offences linked to a suspect has increased by approximately 4 per cent. The most common crime category among the processed offences linked to a suspect in 2022, was Crimes against person, which constituted 26 per cent of the total. Other common offences were Crimes against the Narcotics Drugs Act (20 %), Theft and Robbery (10 %) and Crimes against the Road Traffic Offences Act (9 %).

Processed offences linked to a suspect Pdf, 120 kB.

Persons found guilty of offences

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Total number of conviction decisions

Statistics relating to persons convicted for criminal offences present those found guilty either by court (county court convictions) or by prosecutors (through prosecutor fines or waivers of prosecution).

In 2022, there were approximately 110,522 so-called conviction decisions laid down by the courts or the prosecutors. This is a 1 percent decrease compared to 2021.

Since 1975, the number of convictions has decreased by 65 percent. The greatest reduction came at the end of the 1970s in connection with the decriminalization of public drunkenness. Since then the trend has been more stable, but there has nonetheless been a continuous reduction in number of convictions. In part the reduction can be explained by the fact that over time the police have received extended authority to issue summary fines for a larger number of petty offences. These are presented separately in the conviction statistics. Part of the decrease, particularly between the years 1994—1996, can also be explained if viewed in relation to the fact that the number of cleared offences also fell during this period of time.

Road traffic offences constitute the most common offence type for which someone is convicted. In 2022, offences against various road traffic statutes were the principal offence in 29 percent of all convictions. The second most common offence type is crimes against the Narcotics Drugs Act, which was the principal offence in 28 percent of the convictions in 2022.

Fines most common sanction

Fines issued either by the courts or the prosecutor is the most common form of sanction. In 2021, 60 percent of all convictions carried fines as the principal sanction. In addition, 313,424 summary fines were issued directly by the police.

In 2022, about 11 percent (12,327) of all convictions carried a prison sentence. The most common sentence length was of a maximum of two months (42 percent of all convictions carrying a prison sentence). About 1,976 sentences or 16 percent of the prison sentence carried a prison term of over two years, 23 of which carried a life sentence. In 2022, 59 youths were sentenced to youth custody, a sanction that since 1999 has largely replaced the use of prison for youths up to eighteen years of age.

A legislative change introduced 1 January 2007 led to the sanctions youth care and youth service, previously included under care of the social services, now having become separate sanctions. There were 2,905 youth care and youth service sentences in 2022. In 2022 another legislative change was introduced leading to the sanction youth surveillance. During 2022 there were 73 youth surveillance sentences.
Men and women accounted for 82 and 18 percent respectively of those found guilty of offences in 2022. Youths aged between fifteen and twenty made up approximately 18 percent of all convicted in 2022. In relation to the proportion of the population, youths are over-represented among those found guilty of offences compared to members of other age groups.

Prison and Probation

Persons admitted to prison in Sweden during the year 2022 and the number of inmates in Swedish prison service institutions on 1 October 2022.

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Over the course of the year 2022 a total of 9,481 individuals were admitted to prison, which is an increase of 6 percent in comparison with 2021.

The number of inmates in prison service institutions (on 1 October) was 6,146 in 2022, which constitutes an increase of 8 percent in comparison with 2021. The level is now 40 percent higher than it was in 2013.

Of those admitted to prisons during the year 2022, 17 percent had been sentenced for theft offences. Around 12 percent had been sentenced for crimes against life and health, around 31 percent had been sentenced for drug offences and around 10 percent had been sentenced for road traffic offences. Assault offences dominated among the crimes against life and health and drinking under the influence dominated among the traffic offences.

The majority of those admitted to prisons are men. In 2022, men accounted for approximately 93 percent of the total number of prison inmates. The proportion of inmates comprised of women has been relatively stable over the last ten years.

Around 15 percent of those admitted to prison in 2022 were aged 50 or older. 48 percent were aged between 30 and 49, 32 percent were aged between 21 and 29. Youths aged between 15 and 20 accounted for 5 percent of admissions in 2022. Looking instead at those admitted to prison per 100,000 of population in the respective age groups, the distribution is different. On this basis, the dominant age group comprises persons aged 21 to 29 years, with 289 prison admissions per 100,000 of population, as compared with 77 admissions per 100,000 of population among those aged 15 to 20 years.

There were approximately 2,680 individuals placed in remand centres on average per day 2022. Of these, 82 percent were under detention awaiting trial or during ongoing criminal investigations and 5 percent were under arrest or otherwise in police custody. The number of persons serving a prison sentence in remand centres was 345 persons on average per day 2022.

Approximately 1,614 individuals served their prison sentence by means of intensive electronic supervision in 2022, which constitutes a decrease of 9 percent in comparison with 2021.
In 2022 a total of 10,487 persons entered the supervision of the probation service. This represents a decrease of 6 percent by comparison with the figure for 2021.

A total of 6,110 persons were conditionally discharged during 2022.

Recidivism

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Forty percent of all persons with an initial event¹ in 2016 relapsed into crime within three years. The percentage that relapsed among women was 28 percent and 43 percent among men. The statistics show minor changes over time.

Twenty percent of all persons with an initial event where women and 80 percent men.

The risk of relapsing into crime clearly increases with the number of previous adjudications². Ninety one percent among those with nine or more previous adjudications relapsed into crime within three years. Among those without any previous adjudication 22 percent relapsed into crime within three years.

The median number of days to the first relapse into crime was eight months and one week (253 days) 2016. The median number of days for women was 267 and 250 for men.

It is common that a liberty depriving sanction in the initial event is followed by a liberty depriving sanction in the relapse event. Almost 50 percent had been deprived of liberty some time prior to the relapse event when previous adjudications 5 years before the initial event are included.

About the statistics

The recidivism statistics aim to give an overview of the level, structure and development of relapses into crime. The statistics also present measures such as time to first relapse.

The statistics is divided into to two products, one final and one preliminary recidivism statistics. The difference is the follow up time and the time for collection of conviction decisions that include relapses into crime. These time periods are three years each in the final statistics and one year each in the preliminary statistics. This gives the possibility to present more reliable final statistics compared to the preliminary statistics.

¹) An initial event is a release from prison, discharge from closed institutional youth care, discharge from forensic psychiatric care, completed intensive supervision with electronic monitoring or court sentencing with legal force or conviction decisions with other sanctions.

²) Previous adjudications mean court sentencing with legal force or conviction decisions 5 years before the initial event.

A note on making international comparisons

Crime statistics are influenced by both legal and statistical factors, and by the extent to which crime is reported and registered. These factors can vary from one country to another. There are no international standards for how crime statistics should be produced and presented and this makes international comparisons difficult.

The legal factors that influence crime statistics include the way offences are defined in the relevant legislation, for example, as well as the rules and guiding principles that obtain for the work of the police and prosecutors.

The statistical factors that exert an influence include the principles that determine when a crime is recorded in the statistics. In some countries an event is only recorded in the crime statistics if, after investigation, it can legitimately be considered a crime or where there is sufficient evidence that a crime has been committed. Swedish statistics, on the other hand, record all reported events as crimes even if some of them are later found not to have constituted criminal offences.

Every country has its own principles about what is to be recorded as a criminal act. In some countries, if several offences are committed on the same occasion, only the most serious of these will be recorded. In Sweden, every offence committed on a single occasion is recorded in principle.

Methods of counting crime also vary from one country to another. Several offences of the same kind against a single victim will be counted in some countries as a single crime. By contrast, in Swedish crime statistics every offence occurring under these circumstances is counted separately.

The statistical classification of different types of incidents also varies. This is true of attempted offences, for example, which are in Sweden counted together with completed crimes. In a number of other countries, attempted offences are either recorded separately or ignored for statistical purposes.

Crime statistics are also influenced by public willingness to report crime, and by the efforts made by the police to deal with reported crime in the light of the way they prioritise different types of offences. This too may vary from country to country, making international comparisons more difficult.

The Swedish Crime Survey (a survey of self-reported victimization) constitutes a valuable indicator of  exposure to crime (for example in relation to the official crime statistics), as a means of describing perceptions of safety (or fear of crime) or confidence, and also as a national reference point for other surveys.

If you have any questions about Swedish crime statistics, please contact us at info@bra.se.