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  • Overview
  • Official Data
  • Incidents reported by other sources
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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

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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

National developments

Hate crime provisions in the Criminal Code have been amended to include transgender identity among the protected characteristics.

The Swedish Police Authority and Victim Support Sweden have worked to enhance the skills of police officers and victim support volunteers to identify hate crimes, with the aim of increasing public confidence in the criminal justice system and reducing the number of unreported hate crimes.

The Police have organized training events and conferences to improve the ability of reception police officers, regional command centre staff, Police Academy students and local police officers to recognize hate crimes, in order to ensure more accurate statistics on reported hate crimes. During the training events, the Police collaborated closely with civil society working on LGBTI issues, women's rights and anti-Semitism, and with various state authorities. Furthermore, the Police continued to refine and optimize investigation work, including in collaboration with the prosecution.

The Police Advisory Board met four times in 2019, including with Roma groups/organizations, the Swedish Federation for LGBTQI Rights, Full Personality Expression Sweden and representatives of the Muslim and Jewish communities. A key objective of the Board is to increase confidence among groups targeted by hate crime.

In June 2019, the Swedish Prosecution Service organized national hate crime conferences, aimed at improving practitioners' awareness and ability to respond to hate crimes. Through a collaborative project with Victim Support Sweden, the prosecution service addressed the issue of hate crime victim support and increasing the number of reported hate crimes.

The Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority continued to sponsor several civil society organizations and provided support to victims of hate crime through its Crime Victim Fund.

INCIDENTS REPORTED BY OTHER SOURCES

Kantor Center reported only statistical data. This explains the discrepancy between the graphic above and the incidents included below.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2019-08 Violent attacks against people
UNHCR
Show info

Anti-Roma hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2019-11 Attacks against property
OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights
Show info

Anti-Christian hate crime

Date Type of incident Source Description
2019-06 Attacks against property
OIDAC
Show info

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Racist and xenophobic hate crime, Anti-Muslim hate crime

The United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) published relevant recommendations in its "Report from the thirty-fifth session: Compilation on Sweden."

Anti-Roma hate crime

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published relevant recommendations in its 2019 Roma and Travellers Survey findings, "Roma and Travellers in six countries."

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that Sweden has not reported information on the sentencing of hate crime cases to ODIHR.

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

12 Apr 2022
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ODIHR's impact in 2021: Lifting up indigenous voices to counter racism and promote diversity and inclusion

01 Apr 2022
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ODIHR's impact in 2021: Delivering tools to support hate crime victims

24 Mar 2022
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2021 Call for Civil Society Submissions

16 Feb 2022
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2020 Announcement Page

2020 Hate Crime Data Now Available!

15 Nov 2021
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FAQ.png

Hate Crime Data: Frequently Asked Questions

15 Nov 2021
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Steps to Meet Hate Crime Victims' Needs

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

16 Apr 2021
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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
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2019 Announcement_Page_1.png

2019 Hate Crime Data Now Available!

29 Jan 2021
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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

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