Foreign-born crime trends
Recorded justice outcomes over the years.
Historical study · 2007–2018. Foreign-born includes naturalized citizens. Newer non-citizen prison data are available in the dataset menu.
All reported offences
Sweden · registered population aged 15+ · Foreign-born suspects · Brå study (2007–2018)
Data 2007–2018 · Source retrieved 17 Sept 2026
Retrieval confirms when the source was collected, not that the underlying figures describe today.
Published 25 Aug 2021 · Retrieved 17 Sept 2026
Source period: 2007-01-01–2018-12-31
Release schedule: Occasional research study.
Next release: Historical study · next update planned for late 2026 (2019–2024 data)
Publisher’s release plan checked 17 Sept 2026; timing may change.
How updates are checked →Sum of annual person counts for the selected years. A person can appear in more than one year; this is not a count of unique people or crimes.
Foreign-born people over time
2007–2018These are recorded suspects, not findings of guilt or convictions.
Definitions & limitations
Historical government study of registered suspects aged 15 or older in the Swedish population register, 2007–2018. This series classifies birthplace, not citizenship: foreign-born includes naturalized citizens and excludes Sweden-born children of immigrants. It is separate from the current non-citizen prison dataset. Suspects are not convicted offenders. Each person can recur across categories or years; period totals are person-year counts. Changes in law, recording and population composition affect trends. The 2018 consent law changed sexual-offence definitions; the chart marks that boundary. Categories overlap and must not be added together. Birthplace does not identify citizenship or immigration status.
This dataset identifies foreign-born people, including naturalized citizens; it does not isolate non-citizens. Counts are not population rates, and changes can reflect reporting, enforcement or justice-system practices.
| Period | Foreign-born people · people | Source notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 · calendar year | 60,232 | — |
| 2017 · calendar year | 54,739 | — |
| 2016 · calendar year | 51,010 | — |
| 2015 · calendar year | 50,238 | — |
| 2014 · calendar year | 49,622 | — |
| 2013 · calendar year | 46,704 | — |
| 2012 · calendar year | 50,211 | — |
| 2011 · calendar year | 51,999 | — |
| 2010 · calendar year | 52,829 | — |
| 2009 · calendar year | 52,139 | — |
| 2008 · calendar year | 47,883 | — |
| 2007 · calendar year | 42,830 | — |
Foreign-born and naturalized-citizen series are not separately reported in these datasets. Naturalized citizens are included in citizen counts and are not added to this graph. Data coverage →