Homicides in Sweden
Sweden: Homicides was 121 homicides in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
121 homicides
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
91st
of 179 countries
All-time high
124 homicides
in 2020
All-time low
68 homicides
in 2012
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Homicides in Sweden, 1990–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides.
Analysis
The most recent figure for homicides in Sweden is 121 homicides, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and up 39.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Sweden peaked at 124 homicides in 2020 and was at its lowest, 68 homicides, in 2012.
Sweden ranks 91st of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Homicides in Sweden, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 95 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 115 homicides | +21.1% |
| 1992 | 114 homicides | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 108 homicides | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 100 homicides | -7.4% |
| 1995 | 87 homicides | -13.0% |
| 1996 | 99 homicides | +13.8% |
| 1997 | 87 homicides | -12.1% |
| 1998 | 92 homicides | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 101 homicides | +9.8% |
| 2000 | 96 homicides | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 87 homicides | -9.4% |
| 2002 | 101 homicides | +16.1% |
| 2003 | 85 homicides | -15.8% |
| 2004 | 107 homicides | +25.9% |
| 2005 | 83 homicides | -22.4% |
| 2006 | 91 homicides | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 111 homicides | +22.0% |
| 2008 | 82 homicides | -26.1% |
| 2009 | 93 homicides | +13.4% |
| 2010 | 91 homicides | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 81 homicides | -11.0% |
| 2012 | 68 homicides | -16.0% |
| 2013 | 87 homicides | +27.9% |
| 2014 | 87 homicides | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 112 homicides | +28.7% |
| 2016 | 106 homicides | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 113 homicides | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 108 homicides | -4.4% |
| 2019 | 111 homicides | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 124 homicides | +11.7% |
| 2021 | 113 homicides | -8.9% |
| 2022 | 116 homicides | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 121 homicides | +4.3% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 121 homicides is above the median for high income countries, which is 52.5 homicides, 2.3× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 121 homicides is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 74.5 homicides, 1.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 99.8 homicides | 87 homicides | 115 homicides | 10 |
| 2000s | 93.6 homicides | 82 homicides | 111 homicides | 10 |
| 2010s | 96.4 homicides | 68 homicides | 113 homicides | 10 |
| 2020s | 118.5 homicides | 113 homicides | 124 homicides | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
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 homicides in Sweden?
- Homicides in Sweden was 121 homicides in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 124 homicides in 2020.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 68 homicides in 2012.
- How does Sweden rank for homicides?
- Sweden ranks 91st out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of intentional homicides.