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
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 2014 Data

Figures reported to ODIHR comprised 6,269 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 year-to-year drop in police numbers displayed here is thus due to improved separation of hate crimes from other cases. The number of prosecuted cases reflects prosecutorial decisions taken in 2013 and reported in 2015.

By bias motivation
By type of crime

Download official data

National developments

The government issued a directive making the National Council for Crime Prevention (BRÅ) responsible for the production of hate crime statistics and tasked it with continuing to improving these statistics.

A special investigator has been appointed by the Swedish National Police Board (Rikspolisstyrelsen) to enhance co-operation between the criminal justice system, civil society and academic researchers. The police, together with the Swedish Prosecution Authority and BRÅ, have agreed on a common definition of the term "hate crime" to be used across the criminal justice system. Furthermore, a number of recommendations pertaining to combating hate crime have been formulated.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority (Åklagarmyndigheten) implemented a project aimed at improving the identification and prosecution of hate crimes. A seminar on victimization and experiences of hate crimes for approximately 25 specially-appointed hate crime prosecutors was held.

The Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority, in co-operation with the Jönköping Victim Support Services and the Ängelholm Victim Support Services, organized hate crime training events for employees of local victim support services, as well as representatives of the police. It also provided funding for a research project and a conference that dealt with hate crime issues. Furthermore, in co-operation with the Ombudsman for Children in Sweden, it created a website aimed at children between 14 and 17 that contains information regarding hate crimes, including information on how to report it.

The Swedish Crime Victim Compensation and Support Authority provided funding for the hate crime victim support services run by the Swedish Federation for LGBT Rights (RFSL).

Two two-day seminars, one in Gothenburg and one in Malmö, were arranged by the Swedish Committee against Anti-Semitism in co-operation with the cities of Gothenburg and Malmö, and with support from the Ministry of Employment. During the seminar, new research, including trends in, and consequences of, hate crimes targeting Jewish, Roma and African-Swedish minorities was presented. The seminar also covered hate on the Internet.

Civil rights defenders worked with the police to improve their capacity to combat hate crime within the project "Every Human's Right – Sweden’s Responsibility." Among the goals of the project was increasing law-enforcement officers' knowledge about hate crimes targeting vulnerable groups (primarily Muslims, Roma and people of African origins). The project also aimed at raising awareness of people in positions of authority within the police and government about the need to prioritize the fight against hate crimes, including financing the police and the justice system.

The National Point of Contact on Hate Crimes (NPC) has reported that 2014 has seen the highest numbers of hate crimes committed since the beginning of monitoring. All targeted groups were affected by this peak in hate crimes. The NPC also observed quite broad public response – rejecting the hate violence - following some of the cases covered by the media.

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

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Reports

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported an attack against a Somali family, involving physical violence and damage to property. ILGA-Europe and the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) reported a physical assault against a woman and a man who came to her assistance. The woman suffered a broken arm.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) and ILGA-Europe reported seven physical assaults, including one in which a gay man was stabbed with a knife and threatened with a gun, a series of at least two physical assaults and harassment against LGBT people living in refugee camps, and five incidents of threats and harassment, three of which were against gay couples.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Kantor Center reported two physical assaults against a rabbi, both occurring on the same day, and one also targeting another man, four incidents of damage to property and one incident of graffiti on a school.