Sweden: Rate of Gun violence in Sweden significant on the rise

NordenBladet — As part of a report conducted by the Swedish national council for crime prevention, only Sweden has recorded a significant rise in deaths caused by gun violence since 2000 compared to 22 European countries analyzed.

The report found that Sweden has leaped from having one of the lowest rates of gun violence in Europe to one of the highest in less than a decade due to organized crime.

“The rate in Sweden ranks very high in relation to other European countries, at approximately four deaths per million inhabitants per year. The average for Europe is approximately 1.6 deaths per million inhabitants,” stated the report.

Data between 2014 and 2017 showed that Sweden had the second-highest rate of gun violence, with Croatia taking the number one spot and Latvia coming in third.

Håkan Jarborg, a police chief in southern Sweden, commented, “The increase in gun violence in Sweden is unique compared to most other countries in Europe.”

During 2020, Sweden recorded over 360 incidents involving guns, including 47 deaths and 117 injuries.