Rape in Sweden: facts and numbers

 

Rape in Seden: Key Figures for 2024

    Foreign-Born Population: In 2024, more than 2.2 million people living in Sweden were born in another country.

Percentage of the Population: This figure represents approximately 20% of Sweden's total population.

It is also important to note that if you include people born in Sweden to two parents who were born abroad, the number is higher. In 2024, approximately 32% of Sweden's population had at least one parent born abroad.

According to reports from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå), Sweden's official criminal statistics agency, there is an overrepresentation of foreigners and people with at least one parent born abroad in sexual crime statistics.

Main Conclusions of the Reports:

The Brå reports, which analyze crime data by place of birth and nationality, show the following:

    Foreign-born individuals: They have a 2.5 times higher risk of being registered as a suspect for sexual crimes (including rape) than people born in Sweden to two Swedish parents.

    Individuals born in Sweden with at least one parent born abroad: The risk of being suspected of sexual crimes is 1.7 times higher than that of the native population.

The number of sexual crimes committed by foreign-born individuals is higher than their proportion of the total population.

Our findings reveal a strong link between immigrant background and rape convictions that remains after statistical adjustment. The mechanisms behind the overrepresentation of individuals with an immigrant background among those convicted of rape+ need further exploration. 

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While extensive research exists on the severe consequences among rape victims, little is known about specific predictors in relation to rape convictions among immigrants to Europe. This study from Sweden (having one of Europe’s highest per capita rates of rape) investigates individuals convicted of rape, aggravated rape, attempted rape, or attempted aggravated rape, collectively termed as rape+, against women 18 years or older, from 2000 to 2020. In this case-control study, we analyzed data from Swedish population-based registers. The analysis includes 4,032 individuals convicted of rape+ and 20,160 matched controls.

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Sweden is currently struggling with increasing rates of violent crimes. While the country has witnessed a modest increase in the rate of deadly violence and a significant increase in gang-related gun violence, it also registers the highest per capita rate of rapes in Europe

Males    4,019 (99.7%)
Born in Sweden, 2 Swedish-born parents                        1,488 (36.9%)    14,016 (69.5%)
Born in Sweden, 1 parent born outside Sweden              247 (6.1%)    1,549 (7.7%)
Born in Sweden, 2 parents born outside Sweden             256 (6.4%)    976 (4.8%)
Born outside Sweden                                                  2,041 (50.6%)    3,619 (18.0%)
(A1) Born outside Sweden arrived <15 years of age        666 (16.5%)    1,377 (6.8%)
(A2) Born outside Sweden arrived ≥15 years of age        1,375 (34.1%)    2,242 (11.1%)
(B1) Born outside Sweden (>10 years in Sweden)          715 (17.7%)    1,546 (7.7%)
(B2) Born outside Sweden (5–10 years in Sweden)        398 (9.9%)    750 (3.7%)
(B3) Born outside Sweden (<5 years in Sweden)           928 (23.0%)    1,323 (6.6%)
Social welfare                                                             1,415 (35.1%)    1,871 (9.3%)
Neighborhood deprivation                                            1.57 (2.5)    0.53 (2.1)
Income             (100,000 Swedish Krona)                     1.23 (0.9)    1.66 (1.3)
Alcohol use disord                                                       601 (14.9%)    653 (3.2%)
Drug use disorderb                                                      955 (23.7%)    1,020 (5.1%)
Psychiatric disorder                                                      523 (13.0%)    790 (3.9%)
Criminal behavior                                                         2,096 (52.0%)    2,709 (13.4%) 

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