Is Sweden really “unsafe,” as Trump claims?

Sweden, long known for its low crime rates, has been criticised by US President Donald Trump, who told Politico on December 9 that the country “has gone from being a country free of crime to a country that now has a lot of crime.”

“If you look at Sweden, Sweden was known as the safest country in Europe, one of the safest countries in the world… Now it's known as a very unsafe, well, quite unsafe country. It's hard to believe that's true; it's a completely different country," he added. 

Trump’s comments came amid broader criticism of European immigration policies, claiming that “millions of people” entering Europe are responsible for “tremendous crimes.”

Euronews’ fact-check team examined Sweden’s crime data to see how these claims hold up. Sweden ranks 35th out of 163 countries on the Global Peace Index, scoring 1.709, indicating it is still relatively safe. European countries dominate the top of the index, with Iceland and Ireland leading at 1.095 and 1.26, respectively. By comparison, the US ranks 128th with a score of 2.443.

Looking at homicide rates per 100,000 people, Sweden’s rate was 1.15 in 2023, up from 0.9 in 2014, suggesting some increase in violent crime. This rise is largely linked to gang violence, particularly fatal shootings driven by turf wars and the drug trade.

Young men, often recruited via social media platforms like TikTok, are both perpetrators and victims. In response, the Swedish government has proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 to address gang recruitment of minors. Authorities report that the number of active gang members remained stable in 2025.

Despite this increase, Sweden remains safer than the US, where even the safest state, New Hampshire, had a homicide rate of 1.9 in 2023, and the District of Columbia topped the list at 33.1. Across Europe, only a few countries, such as Latvia (4.20), Türkiye (2.54), and Lithuania (2.41), recorded higher rates than Sweden. The lowest European homicide rates were found in Liechtenstein (0.0), Malta (0.37), and Italy (0.57).

While Sweden faces growing challenges from gang violence, the data show that it remains far safer than the US and many other countries, even as its homicide rate has inched upward over the past decade.

By Sabina Mammadli