Homicides in Sweden
Sweden: Homicides was 111.17 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Sweden, 2000–2021
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.
Homicides in Sweden, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 100.69 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 97.04 deaths | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 117.7 deaths | +21.3% |
| 2003 | 92.12 deaths | -21.7% |
| 2004 | 109.45 deaths | +18.8% |
| 2005 | 95.06 deaths | -13.1% |
| 2006 | 88.05 deaths | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 122.87 deaths | +39.5% |
| 2008 | 81.34 deaths | -33.8% |
| 2009 | 97.98 deaths | +20.5% |
| 2010 | 101.1 deaths | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 82.61 deaths | -18.3% |
| 2012 | 73.83 deaths | -10.6% |
| 2013 | 95.59 deaths | +29.5% |
| 2014 | 98.15 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 121.71 deaths | +24.0% |
| 2016 | 103 deaths | -15.4% |
| 2017 | 127.53 deaths | +23.8% |
| 2018 | 116.79 deaths | -8.4% |
| 2019 | 118.06 deaths | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 141 deaths | +19.4% |
| 2021 | 111.17 deaths | -21.2% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 111.17 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 71.2 deaths, 1.6× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 111.17 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 100.82 deaths, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 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
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.