Child homicide rate in Sweden
Sweden: Child homicide rate was 0.8237 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.8237 deaths per 100,000 people
Change on year
up 11.2%
World rank
32nd
of 113 countries
All-time high
1.27 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1956
All-time low
0.1806 deaths per 100,000 people
in 1978
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Child homicide rate in Sweden, 1951–2023
Source: WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, child homicide rate in Sweden stood at 0.8237 deaths per 100,000 people.
The figure is up 11.2% on the previous year and up 99.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child homicide rate in Sweden peaked at 1.27 deaths per 100,000 people in 1956 and was at its lowest, 0.1806 deaths per 100,000 people, in 1978.
Sweden ranks 32nd of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Child homicide rate in Sweden, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 0.8659 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 1952 | 0.6184 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.6% |
| 1953 | 0.7525 deaths per 100,000 people | +21.7% |
| 1954 | 0.8373 deaths per 100,000 people | +11.3% |
| 1955 | 0.9662 deaths per 100,000 people | +15.4% |
| 1956 | 1.27 deaths per 100,000 people | +31.9% |
| 1957 | 0.8111 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.3% |
| 1958 | 0.5812 deaths per 100,000 people | -28.3% |
| 1959 | 0.4896 deaths per 100,000 people | -15.8% |
| 1960 | 0.5768 deaths per 100,000 people | +17.8% |
| 1961 | 0.398 deaths per 100,000 people | -31.0% |
| 1962 | 0.4863 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.2% |
| 1963 | 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people | +118.9% |
| 1964 | 0.8452 deaths per 100,000 people | -20.6% |
| 1965 | 0.668 deaths per 100,000 people | -21.0% |
| 1966 | 0.7133 deaths per 100,000 people | +6.8% |
| 1967 | 0.4915 deaths per 100,000 people | -31.1% |
| 1968 | 0.6281 deaths per 100,000 people | +27.8% |
| 1969 | 0.7643 deaths per 100,000 people | +21.7% |
| 1970 | 0.8074 deaths per 100,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1971 | 0.9849 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.0% |
| 1972 | 0.7166 deaths per 100,000 people | -27.2% |
| 1973 | 0.4937 deaths per 100,000 people | -31.1% |
| 1974 | 0.5386 deaths per 100,000 people | +9.1% |
| 1975 | 0.7172 deaths per 100,000 people | +33.2% |
| 1976 | 0.6282 deaths per 100,000 people | -12.4% |
| 1977 | 0.5847 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.9% |
| 1978 | 0.1806 deaths per 100,000 people | -69.1% |
| 1979 | 0.9526 deaths per 100,000 people | +427.4% |
| 1980 | 0.7736 deaths per 100,000 people | -18.8% |
| 1981 | 0.9598 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.1% |
| 1982 | 0.5522 deaths per 100,000 people | -42.5% |
| 1983 | 0.418 deaths per 100,000 people | -24.3% |
| 1984 | 0.3761 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.0% |
| 1985 | 0.5709 deaths per 100,000 people | +51.8% |
| 1986 | 0.5283 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.5% |
| 1987 | 0.4352 deaths per 100,000 people | -17.6% |
| 1988 | 0.581 deaths per 100,000 people | +33.5% |
| 1989 | 0.5293 deaths per 100,000 people | -8.9% |
| 1990 | 0.8096 deaths per 100,000 people | +53.0% |
| 1991 | 0.519 deaths per 100,000 people | -35.9% |
| 1992 | 0.8432 deaths per 100,000 people | +62.5% |
| 1993 | 0.6977 deaths per 100,000 people | -17.3% |
| 1994 | 0.3693 deaths per 100,000 people | -47.1% |
| 1995 | 0.5981 deaths per 100,000 people | +62.0% |
| 1996 | 0.3228 deaths per 100,000 people | -46.0% |
| 1997 | 0.3239 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.6033 deaths per 100,000 people | +86.2% |
| 1999 | 0.2793 deaths per 100,000 people | -53.7% |
| 2000 | 0.5136 deaths per 100,000 people | +83.9% |
| 2001 | 0.5142 deaths per 100,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 0.5136 deaths per 100,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 0.3258 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.6% |
| 2004 | 0.696 deaths per 100,000 people | +113.6% |
| 2005 | 0.2316 deaths per 100,000 people | -66.7% |
| 2006 | 0.1848 deaths per 100,000 people | -20.2% |
| 2007 | 0.414 deaths per 100,000 people | +124.0% |
| 2008 | 0.4584 deaths per 100,000 people | +10.7% |
| 2009 | 0.3202 deaths per 100,000 people | -30.1% |
| 2010 | 0.5033 deaths per 100,000 people | +57.2% |
| 2011 | 0.3211 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.2% |
| 2012 | 0.3676 deaths per 100,000 people | +14.5% |
| 2013 | 0.4123 deaths per 100,000 people | +12.2% |
| 2014 | 0.3637 deaths per 100,000 people | -11.8% |
| 2015 | 0.5395 deaths per 100,000 people | +48.3% |
| 2016 | 0.4856 deaths per 100,000 people | -10.0% |
| 2017 | 0.6047 deaths per 100,000 people | +24.5% |
| 2018 | 0.3815 deaths per 100,000 people | -36.9% |
| 2019 | 0.7945 deaths per 100,000 people | +108.3% |
| 2020 | 0.8302 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.5% |
| 2021 | 0.4541 deaths per 100,000 people | -45.3% |
| 2022 | 0.7404 deaths per 100,000 people | +63.0% |
| 2023 | 0.8237 deaths per 100,000 people | +11.2% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 0.8237 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3072 deaths per 100,000 people, 2.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 0.8237 deaths per 100,000 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.3042 deaths per 100,000 people, 2.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Child homicide rate in Sweden changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +427.4% | 0.1806 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.9526 deaths per 100,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.7996 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.4896 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.27 deaths per 100,000 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 0.6636 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.398 deaths per 100,000 people | 1.06 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.6605 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1806 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.9849 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5724 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.3761 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.9598 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5366 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.2793 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.8432 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4172 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.1848 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.696 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4774 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.3211 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.7945 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7121 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.4541 deaths per 100,000 people | 0.8302 deaths per 100,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 29 Guadeloupe 0.8965 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 30 Peru 0.8607 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 31 Cuba 0.8394 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 33 New Zealand 0.7911 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 34 Iran 0.741 deaths per 100,000 people compare
- 35 Maldives 0.73 deaths per 100,000 people compare
More social development data for Sweden
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 144,116 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0136 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child homicide rate in Sweden?
- Child homicide rate in Sweden was 0.8237 deaths per 100,000 people in 2023, according to WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child homicide rate recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 1.27 deaths per 100,000 people in 1956.
- What is the lowest child homicide rate recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1806 deaths per 100,000 people in 1978.
- How does Sweden rank for child homicide rate?
- Sweden ranks 32nd out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is child homicide rate rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from WHO Mortality Database (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Child homicide rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual number of homicides where the victim is under 20 years old, per 100,000 people in the same age-group.