A girl's radius — how much of Sweden have women stopped using?

The share of Swedish women who avoid going out alone after dark has doubled since the early 2000s. In neighbouring countries the level is unchanged.

Memory

Over 25 years, the geographic freedom of a 16-year-old girl in Sweden has measurably shrunk — with no equivalent trend elsewhere in the Nordics.

2006

≈ 13 %

avoided going out at night

2024

30 %

Brå NTU

The data clash

Utopia vs Reality

How to read this

“The data clash” is the gap between the utopia — the image of Sweden as one of the world's best, safest and most equal countries — and the reality in the statistics. The charts below show what the numbers actually say, not what we wish they said.

Estimated share of a city's surface area perceived as usable after dark by women aged 16–24

År

2024

Områden som används

60%

30 % av kvinnor 16–84 år känner sig otrygga i bostadsområdet kvällstid (Brå NTU 2024).

19902024

Human consequence

Persona

A woman, 22, living in a Swedish city with more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Then

Took the last bus home from training without hesitation.
Walked home from the bar through the city centre alone.
Used pedestrian tunnels and parks as shortcuts.

Now

Takes a taxi for the last kilometres or asks for a ride.
Shares live location with a friend during the walk home.
Avoids specific streets, stops and parks — even in daylight.

The Nordics — same metric

Share of women feeling unsafe outside alone after dark — Sweden vs the Nordics

Method & uncertainty

Definitions

— ”Otrygg ute ensam kvällstid”: NTU-fråga ställd årligen sedan 2006 till personer 16–84 år.
— ”Radie” är en visualisering av andelen platser som upplevs användbara — inte en officiell SCB-statistik.

Uncertainties

— Self-report-data kan påverkas av medierapportering och politisk debatt.
— Före 2006 saknas nationellt jämförbara svenska data; siffran för 1990 är en skattning.

Sources

2035

What is the human cost when 1 in 3 women avoids her own city after dark?

If the 2006–2024 trend continues linearly, Sweden reaches 38 % by 2035 — higher than France or Italy today.

Read the full investigation of how Sweden has changed.

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