Ten years, two records
| Mått | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal shootings per year(Brå) | 32 | 44 |
| Reported bombings(Police) | 26 | 363 |
| Children (<18) killed in gang shootings(Brå/SVT) | 1 | 12 |
| Police vulnerable areas(Police) | 55 | 59 |
Sweden in 2024 has more bombings per capita than any other country in the EU and more fatal firearm victims among young men than any country in Western Europe (EUDA, Eurostat). Both metrics are still rising.
A criminologist on the scale of the problem
What we are seeing now is not ordinary crime statistics. It is a structural problem driven by a relatively small number of family-based networks with deep roots in specific neighbourhoods.
Brå's own research confirms the network character: a handful of large criminal families and clans account for a disproportionate share of the lethal violence and recruit children as young as 11–13 as contract killers — a pattern previously seen mainly in Latin America.
What happens to businesses
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise reports that more than one in three SMEs in the most affected sectors say crime is now a top-three challenge. Shops in vulnerable areas report systematic theft, threats and protection rackets; several large chains have left individual districts entirely. The business climate has become a security question.
Sources
Read the full investigation of how Sweden has changed.
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