Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Crime in Norway - statistics & facts
Norway is known for being one of the safest countries in the world. The country has seen a decrease in criminal offenses over the past years, falling by around 90,000 cases during the past decade. This equals a decrease in the crime rate from 79 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 to 56 in 2022. Nevertheless, Oslo was hit by a terrorist attack against the LGBTQ+ community in June 2022 in which two people were killed. However, this was an isolated incident in an otherwise mostly peaceful country.
Moreover, there was been an increase of reported cases of sexual crimes in the Scandinavian country from 2014 to 2018, before it stabilized between 7,000 and 8,000 cases annually since. This may not necessarily be because the actual number of cases increases, but should be seen in relation with an increased awareness about sexual crimes during recent years. The same pattern could be observed in Norway's Scandinavian neighbors Denmark and Sweden.
Falling number of most crimes
As the total number of crimes in Norway decreased over the past years, so did the number of the different types of crimes. For instance, the number of thefts, burglaries, and robberies reported sank from nearly 180,000 in 2012 to less than 105,000 in 2022. However, these still account for the highest share of reported crimes in the country. Whereas the number of reported violent crimes increased from 2011 to 2019, the number of cases fell again during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, before increasing again in 2022.Moreover, there was been an increase of reported cases of sexual crimes in the Scandinavian country from 2014 to 2018, before it stabilized between 7,000 and 8,000 cases annually since. This may not necessarily be because the actual number of cases increases, but should be seen in relation with an increased awareness about sexual crimes during recent years. The same pattern could be observed in Norway's Scandinavian neighbors Denmark and Sweden.
Victims and offenders
Additionally, the decreasing number of reported crimes means that the number of crime victims also decreased in Norway over the past 10 years. While there were more men than women among the crime victims during this period, the difference was even more significant among the perpetrators, where a clear majority was men. Looking at the difference between male and female victims and the different types of crime, there were more men than women among all victims except for sexual crimes. While burglaries, thefts, and robberies accounted for the highest number of crimes committed in Norway, the highest number of prisoners was jailed for violence or maltreatment.
