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.

SELECT YEAR

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 2013 Data

Figure reported to ODIHR comprised estimated 5508 police reports. This number included incidents related to defamation, hate speech, and unlawful discrimination. A number displayed represents only hate crimes according to OSCE definition. A year-to-year drop in police number displayed here is thus due to improved separation of hate crimes from other cases.

By bias motivation
By type of crime

Download official data

National developments

The Swedish Prosecution Authority commissioned the development of an improved methodology for the identification and tracking of hate crimes in the judicial and law enforcement systems. The new methodology should improve pre-trial investigations and increase prosecution rates.

In 2013, the Swedish Police issued an inspection report on the ability of police authorities to detect and investigate hate crimes, including recommendations for the future. The Police Authority of Jönköping County, together with the local municipality, organized a public panel discussion on hate crimes to raise awareness and increase reporting rates. The Police Authority of Norrbotten County has also worked to raise awareness among potential victims about hate crimes and their rights.

Approximately 20 municipalities were actively engaged in the work of a network of municipalities put together by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions. Best practices among municipalities in combating hate crimes are shared within the network and published in a report.

The Swedish Association for Victim Support worked with more than 90 local hate crime victim-support organizations on collecting hate crime data. Data on incidents were compiled in a report that identified 279 hate-motivated incidents. The Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority provided funding to Malmö University to conduct a comparative research study on exposure to and experience with hate crimes, which will compare the situation among students in the United Kingdom and in Sweden. The Anti-Discrimination Bureau in Uppsala continued its project "Web presence" by training 790 persons from schools and non-governmental organizations on Internet hate. The project enables online reporting of Internet hate crimes, resulting in 111 reports being received and forwarded to police in 2013.

The Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority also supported training programmes on law enforcement and hate crimes, which aimed to enhance the capacity of the National Association of Afro-Swedes to provide support services to hate crime victims of Afro-Swedish origin.

Two-day seminars were held in Umeå, Göteborg and Malmö that aimed to raise awareness among teachers, police and civil servants about anti-Semitic hate crimes and crimes motivated by bias against Muslims. The series was organized by the Swedish Committee against anti-Semitism.

The Swedish Committee against anti-Semitism has translated and disseminated ODIHR’s "Guidelines for Educators on Countering Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims" in schools.

The Swedish Association for Victim Support, together with the Expo Foundation and the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights, continued to train its volunteers and staff to increase their ability to identify hate incidents and provide better support to victims of hate crimes and offences.

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

Reports

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

The Swedish Federation for LGBT Rights reported 52 homophobic, biphobic (bias against bisexual people) or transphobic hate incidents, including three cases of threats, against a transgender person, a lesbian couple and a gay man, respectively.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

World Without Nazism reported one incident of threats, in which a flag with a swastika was attached to the doors of a synagogue.

Anti-Muslim hate crime

World Without Nazism reported one physical assault against a Muslim woman by a group, during which her headscarf was pulled off her head.

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

World Without Nazism reported one arson attack on a Pentecostal church.

The Holy See reported the attempted arson of a church, motivated by anti-Christian bias. Swedish authorities reported back that the case was investigated as a suspected arson not involving a bias motive, and that the investigation was closed due to a lack of leads.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published findings from a survey on experiences and perceptions of anti-Semitism conducted in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The survey showed that many respondents have been victims of anti-Semitic violence and harassment, and feared becoming hate crime victims in the future. The survey also mapped the extent of unreported anti-Semitic hate crime. The FRA recommended that EU Member States consider taking a number of steps to improve the reporting, recording, investigating and prosecuting of hate crimes.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that Sweden introduce a common and clear definition of hate crime that allows all reported hate crimes to be tracked through the justice system; replicate the establishment of police hate crime units and special investigators in all parts of the country; and extend to all parts of the country the hate crime training given to police, prosecutors and judges.