Homicides in Sweden

Sweden: Homicides was 111.17 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
111.17 deaths
Change on year
down 21.2%
World rank
126th
of 194 countries
All-time high
141 deaths
in 2020
All-time low
73.83 deaths
in 2012
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Homicides in Sweden, 2000–2021

0501001502000201020212000: 100.7 deaths2001: 97 deaths2002: 117.7 deaths2003: 92.1 deaths2004: 109.5 deaths2005: 95.1 deaths2006: 88 deaths2007: 122.9 deaths2008: 81.3 deaths2009: 98 deaths2010: 101.1 deaths2011: 82.6 deaths2012: 73.8 deaths2013: 95.6 deaths2014: 98.2 deaths2015: 121.7 deaths2016: 103 deaths2017: 127.5 deaths2018: 116.8 deaths2019: 118.1 deaths2020: 141 deaths2021: 111.2 deaths

Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.

Analysis

In 2021, homicides in Sweden stood at 111.17 deaths.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.2% on the previous year and up 34.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, homicides in Sweden peaked at 141 deaths in 2020 and was at its lowest, 73.83 deaths, in 2012.

That places Sweden 126th out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 100.23 deaths 81.34 deaths 122.87 deaths 10
2010s 103.84 deaths 73.83 deaths 127.53 deaths 10
2020s 126.09 deaths 111.17 deaths 141 deaths 2

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 123 Lithuania 116.08 deaths compare
  2. 124 Guyana 113.22 deaths compare
  3. 125 Greece 112.18 deaths compare
  4. 127 Armenia 109.98 deaths compare
  5. 128 Netherlands 100.82 deaths compare
  6. 129 Albania 100.25 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More social development data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is homicides in Sweden?
Homicides in Sweden was 111.17 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest homicides recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 141 deaths in 2020.
What is the lowest homicides recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 73.83 deaths in 2012.
How does Sweden rank for homicides?
Sweden ranks 126th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
Is homicides rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sweden data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Homicides
Unit
deaths
Source
World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,268 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.