Sweden | HCRW

Sweden regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Hate crime reports are published every second year. Since 2016, the Government has implemented a national plan against racism, similar forms of hostility and hate crime. The plan takes an integrated approach and comprises strategies and measures to prevent and combat racism and hate crime through co-ordination and monitoring, education and research, and support for and co-operation with civil society.

Three different victimization surveys are conducted at one, two and three-year intervals in order to measure unreported hate crime.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2015 hate crime report for Sweden

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	Not available	Not available	Not available
2022	2695	213	Not available
2021	Not available	Not available	Not available
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.

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.

KEY OBSERVATION

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

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

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.

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.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

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

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.

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.