Skip to main content
Home
  • English
  • Русский

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Hate Crime Data
  • ODIHR's Tools
  • Civil Society
  • Participating States
  • Image
    Albania
  • Image
    Andorra
  • Image
    Armenia
  • Image
    Austria
  • Image
    Azerbaijan
  • Image
    Belarus
  • Image
    Belgium
  • Image
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Image
    Bulgaria
  • Image
    Canada
  • Image
    Croatia
  • Image
    Cyprus
  • Image
    Czech Republic
  • Image
    Denmark
  • Image
    Estonia
  • Image
    Finland
  • Image
    France
  • Image
    Georgia
  • Image
    Germany
  • Image
    Greece
  • Image
    Holy See
  • Image
    Hungary
  • Image
    Iceland
  • Image
    Ireland
  • Image
    Italy
  • Image
    Kazakhstan
  • Image
    Kyrgyzstan
  • Image
    Latvia
  • Image
    Liechtenstein
  • Image
    Lithuania
  • Image
    Luxembourg
  • Image
    Malta
  • Image
    Moldova
  • Image
    Monaco
  • Image
    Mongolia
  • Image
    Montenegro
  • Image
    Netherlands
  • Image
    North Macedonia
  • Image
    Norway
  • Image
    Poland
  • Image
    Portugal
  • Image
    Romania
  • Image
    Russian Federation
  • Image
    San Marino
  • Image
    Serbia
  • Image
    Slovakia
  • Image
    Slovenia
  • Image
    Spain
  • Image
    Sweden
  • Image
    Switzerland
  • Image
    Tajikistan
  • Image
    Turkey
  • Image
    Turkmenistan
  • Image
    Ukraine
  • Image
    United Kingdom
  • Image
    United States of America
  • Image
    Uzbekistan

Country pages menu

  • Overview
  • Official Data
  • Incidents reported by other sources
  • International reports
  • Key observation
Image

Sweden

Sweden regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Sweden's criminal law contains a general penalty enhancement provision. Sweden includes defamation, hate speech and discrimination crimes in its data. Hate crime data are collected by the National Council for Crime Prevention and are based on information from the police and the prosecution authority. Since 2012, the number of hate crime cases is estimated based on a statistical sample of police reports. Since 2016, hate crime reports are published only every second year. Three different victimization surveys, used to measure unreported hate crime, are conducted regularly at one, two and three-year intervals, respectively.

Hate crime data collection in Sweden
Support for hate crime victims in Sweden
Access more information at the Legislation Online website Legislationline TANDIS Access more information at the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Information System (TANDIS) website

SELECT YEAR

  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2013
  • 2012
  • 2011
  • 2010
  • 2009

OFFICIAL DATA

Year Hate crimes recorded by police Prosecuted Sentenced
2020 3150 334 Not available
2019 Not available Not available Not available
2018 5858 218 -
2017 Not available Not available Not available
2016 4862 257 Not available
2015 4859 255 Not available
2014 4258 279 Not available
2013 3943 161 Not available
2012 5518 344 Not available
2011 5493 347 Not available
2010 5139 440 Not available
2009 5797 450 Not available

About 2015 Data

    Figures reported to ODIHR comprised 6,984 estimated hate crime reports. This number included incidents related to defamation, hate speech, and unlawful discrimination. The number displayed represents only hate crimes according to the OSCE definition. The number of prosecuted cases reflects prosecutorial decisions taken in 2014, only submitted in 2016 due to the reporting cycle.
  • By bias motivation
  • By type of crime
Download official data
Download official data

National developments

The Swedish National Police Board continued its project aimed at increasing efforts to counter hate crimes, which was extended until May 2016. The Swedish Police Authority western region began preparatory work for the establishment of a special team to investigate hate crimes and started developing a regional action plan to counter hate crimes. The Swedish Prosecution Authority designed a study to review 300 cases of hate crime to improve the quality of legal proceedings and organized a hate crime seminar to increase the competence of hate crime prosecutors.

The Red Cross developed an online course on "Preparedness to deal with xenophobic acts" that provides civil society groups (around 150 organizations) with the tools to develop a contingency plan in the event of a hate incident.

The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKL), through its Network for Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination, which involved 25 municipalities and the Equality Ombudsman, developed a ten-step programme, which includes how municipalities can counter hate crimes and offer conflict management, as well as promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue.

The Swedish Crime Victim Fund supported the study "Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority: Exposure and Experiences of Hate Crime – A Comparison between Student Populations in the United Kingdom and Sweden."

The Commission against Antiziganism published the report "Taking Action Against Antiziganistic Hate Crimes," which contains ODIHR’s observations regarding hate crimes against Roma and Sinti People and recommended measures that were mainly aimed at law enforcement personnel.

The Public Health Agency of Sweden conducted a survey for transgender people regarding health and health determinants, including experiences of harassment and abuse. The final report is publicly available. The Swedish Crime Victim Fund allocated funds to the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights in order to ensure victim support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people who experience a hate crime.

The Swedish Committee against Anti-Semitism organized two training workshops aimed at teachers who want to offer in-depth knowledge of the Holocaust, and providing pedagogical methods to use when teaching students about the Holocaust. The workshops also addressed historical and contemporary forms of anti-Semitism and intolerance against Roma and Sinti people, including hate crimes. The workshops took place in Kalmar and Norrköping.

The Swedish Committee against Anti-Semitism developed an educational programme that involved 400 students and approximately 80 teachers from 84 different schools in 28 different municipalities.  The programme aims to increasing knowledge of "Nazi crimes," contemporary racist and anti-democratic ideas and their consequences, such as hate crimes.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

TOTAL 63 INCIDENTS
Download incident data

Reports

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

ILGA-Europe and RFSL Crime Victim Support reported five physical assaults, including two carried out by groups and one in which a transgender woman was beaten and sexually assaulted.

read more ›

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Human Rights First and SETA reported the murder of two students with a sword with anti-Muslim and racist motivations, and three arson attacks on housing for asylum seekers. The Kantor Center reported 43 arson attacks on centres for asylum seekers. 

read more ›

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Kantor Center reported two physical assaults and one incident in which a Jewish family was threatened.

read more ›

Anti-Muslim hate crime

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Human Rights First and SETA reported the murder of two students with a sword with of anti-Muslim and racist motivations. SETA also reported an arson attack on a mosque, a case of threatening through mail, and vandalism involving desecration of a mosque, throwing canned pork and drawing graffiti.

read more ›

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

Following its mission to Sweden, the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent recommended that more resources be allocated to police and prosecution authorities to investigate and prosecute hate crimes against people of African descent. It also recommended the collection and publishing of data on hate crimes against Afro-Swedes as a distinct category, and not as a subcategory of racist hate crimes.

Following its Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Swedish authorities expressed support for recommendations to strengthen efforts to effectively investigate, prosecute and punish all hate crimes, and to expand training programmes on hate crimes provided for police, prosecutors and judges.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that Sweden has not reported information on sentenced hate crime cases to ODIHR.

Image
20220412_ODIHR 2021 impact_image_EN

ODIHR's impact in 2021: Marking 15 years of reporting hate crimes

12 Apr 2022
Image
20220401_InFocus_IP event_cover image

ODIHR's impact in 2021: Lifting up indigenous voices to counter racism and promote diversity and inclusion

01 Apr 2022
Image
20220426_ODIHR impact 2021_EStAR_image

ODIHR's impact in 2021: Delivering tools to support hate crime victims

24 Mar 2022
Image
Call for submissions image.png

2021 Call for Civil Society Submissions

16 Feb 2022
Image
2020 Announcement Page

2020 Hate Crime Data Now Available!

15 Nov 2021
Image
FAQ.png

Hate Crime Data: Frequently Asked Questions

15 Nov 2021
Image
Steps to Meet Hate Crime Victims' Needs

ODIHR's impact in 2020: Strengthening Support for Hate Crime Victims

16 Apr 2021
Image
10 practical steps to respond to the security needs of Muslim communities

ODIHR's impact in 2020: A holistic and inclusive response to anti-Muslim hate crimes

15 Apr 2021
Image
2019 Announcement_Page_1.png

2019 Hate Crime Data Now Available!

29 Jan 2021
Image
INFAHCT infographic for PPT_resized for HCRW.png

ODIHR's impact in 2019: Supporting a diagnostic approach to hate crime data collection

29 Apr 2020

Contact Us

Email tndinfo@odihr.pl
Tel +48 22 520 06 00
Fax +48 22 520 06 05
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department
Ul. Miodowa 10
00-251
Warsaw, Poland

Footer

  • ODIHR
  • ODIHR contacts
  • OSCE
  • About OSCE websites
  • Terms of service

Log In

  • Reset your password