Sweden : Safety by City
Sweden, the largest of the Nordic countries, is located in northern Europe, on the Scandinavian Peninsula.
It shares borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark via the bridge of Öresund (Öresundsbron).
To the east of Sweden lies the Baltic Sea, along with the Gulf of Bothnia, which separates Sweden from the biggest part of Finland.
The interesting fact, when it comes to Sweden’s geography is that its northernmost part belongs to the Arctic.
It is a country with a population of about 10 million yet its pride isn’t the modern cities and contemporary architecture, but its gorgeous natural beauty.
Leaving the city behind means really appreciating what this country has to offer.
Tourists can choose from a variety of options: sailing across an archipelago, visiting a lonely island, trekking along Sweden’s northern wilderness… these are just some of the options you can enjoy when visiting this breathtaking country.
Skiing, skating, hiking fishing, and foraging for mushrooms and berries are popular Swedish pastimes and hobbies, and you won’t be able to resist joining them in these activities.
Warnings & Dangers in Sweden
OVERALL RISK: LOW
Sweden is a very safe country to visit, but that doesn't mean you should let your guard down: crime has been on the rise since the '80s and petty crime exists in most countries in the world, so exercise caution at all times.
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
Taxis and other means of transportation are very safe and reliable in Sweden.
PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
There is some risk of pickpockets, mostly around tourist landmarks and crowded places such as bus and train stations, airports or shopping centers. Avoid flashing your valuables in public, or leaving them in plain sight and that should minimize the risk of someone stealing from you.
NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
When it comes to natural disasters, there are some risks, mostly connected to the fact that, during winter, this country is below freezing point. Dress accordingly and expect snowstorms and extremely cold temperatures.
MUGGING RISK: LOW
Mugging is uncommon in Sweden, and so is kidnapping. However, as in any country, it is recommended that you remain vigilant at all times. Be wary of people trying to distract you, as it might be a trick to try to steal from you.
TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM
There haven't been any terrorist attacks in Sweden's recent history. However, in the light of recent events and terrorist attacks in Europe, they shouldn't be ruled out, so remain aware of your surroundings at all times.
SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM
As in most countries of the world, there will always be people trying to scam unsuspecting tourists. The risk of scammers is not too high, but you should still double-check everything. Be wary of people offering you help with anything or giving you unsolicited advice or directions.
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW
Sweden is generally safe for women traveling solo, except in some parts of it, such as Rinkeby in Stockholm, after dark. Just follow the rules of common sense such as avoiding deserted and poorly lit streets and areas, and your trip should go smoothly.
So... How Safe Is Sweden Really?
Sweden is generally very safe to visit, even though since the ’80s crime rates have steadily been on the rise, so watch out when walking the streets of Sweden especially at night and during weekends.
There are also areas to be avoided such as Rinkeby in Stockholm, with violent crimes and robberies being more and more common.
Bear in mind that in the rural areas of Norrland, the nearest patrol car might be a hundred kilometers away, and the majority of Sweden is actually quite weakly policed.
If you see a street fight, just keep a safe distance and never get involved in one.
There have been reports of young people being injured or even killed after trying to intervene in a street fight.
Young people, usually when drunk or otherwise intoxicated are a real threat in this country, so it is best to avoid them.
Never argue with security guards or bouncers since they are legally allowed to use force if needed and they will use that legal power against you.
Generally, Swedes are known to avoid eye contact, especially in dangerous or uncomfortable situations, so avoid looking them directly in the eyes as it might provoke them if such a situation presents itself.
As for pickpockets, they do operate, but it isn’t a serious issue in this country.
They usually operate in tourist-frequented areas and crowded places such as airports, bus and train stations, and shopping areas.
Most Swedes feel comfortable carrying their cash with them but still exercise caution.
Also, if you’re using bicycles, lock them safely before moving away.
How Does Sweden Compare?
| Country | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 83 |
| Morocco | 54 |
| Netherlands | 75 |
| United Arab Emirates | 79 |
| Montenegro | 70 |
| Qatar | 84 |
| Lithuania | 79 |
| Argentina | 70 |
| Denmark | 94 |
Useful Information
Visas
Most countries do not need a visa in order to enter Sweden, for any stays shorter than 90 days. Any longer than that, you might need to acquire a visa. Make sure your passport is valid for at least six months past your planned date of return. If you are not sure about your visa status, visit www.doyouneedvisa.com which will let you know whether or not you need a visa based on your nationality and the country you want to visit.
Currency
Swedish Krona is the official currency in Sweden. Like most Scandinavian countries, Sweden is expensive so plan on spending around 130 euro per day. ATMs are widely available throughout the country and credit cards are accepted in most establishments such as hotels and restaurants. Tipping is rare.
Weather
Sweden generally has a relatively mild climate compared to other Scandinavian countries. Temperatures in July are between 13 and 17°C. February is usually Sweden's coldest month, with temperatures dropping as low as - 22°C. In northern Sweden, winters are freezing, with temperatures that often drop to -30°C, sometimes even lower.
Airports
Stockholm Arlanda Airport is Sweden's busiest airport located in the Sigtuna Municipality of Sweden, around 37 kilometers north of Stockholm.
Travel Insurance
Just like anywhere else, we recommend getting travel insurance when traveling to Sweden, since it covers not only the costs of medical problems but also theft and loss of valuables.
Sweden Weather Averages (Temperatures)
Average High/Low Temperature
| Temperature / Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 1 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| Low °C | -3 | -3 | -1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 2 | -2 |
| High °F | 34 | 34 | 41 | 52 | 61 | 68 | 75 | 72 | 63 | 50 | 43 | 36 |
| Low °F | 27 | 27 | 30 | 37 | 45 | 52 | 59 | 57 | 50 | 43 | 36 | 28 |
Sweden - Safety by City
| City | Safety Index |
|---|---|
| Gothenburg | 78 |
| Lund | 92 |
| Malmo | 82 |
| Stockholm | 78 |
Not safe for women
not safe for women
i agree
Ask the locals, when staying in the Sweden
Unfortunately the city of Malmö is not safe anymore. There are also lots of more areas than Rinkeby in Stockholm, which are not safe, like Rosengård in Malmö and Söder in Helsingborg – but all is relativ. In Malmö there have been a lot of shootings in the city and other areas throughout the last three years. There has been a terroristattack in Stockholm in 2017, anyway one can everywhere be at the wrong time at the wrong place. I do not feel less safe as a woman.
Bullshit Sweden is super safe I have never felt unsafe
True
I'm a local who never feels threatened
I live in Malmö and can say that it feels super safe here, as opposed to some areas of Stockholm. Plus that in general, while gangs do exist in Sweden, they target themselves most of the times. So unless you happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, nothing is gonna happen.
Sweden is a generally safe country compared to USA
I don’t know what “Anonynous” based his/her opinion upon. Stockholm is one of the safest places I have ever lived (compared to many big cities in USA). I moved to Stockholm from USA about 10 years ago, and yes, crime has increased since then, but if you are not involved in criminal gangs or their activities, you should not be so concerned. As a woman, I generally feel safe in Sweden.
Lots of prostitutes and gangs in Stockholm at nighttime. A barber told me he was assaulted by an illegal immigrant.
I agree I fell safer in Sweden than the USA
Bullshied
This is a bullsh*t article. Sweden is a VERY safe country to visit. I don’t trust any of these articles ….
LOOL, ever been there?
???
The article never said Sweden was dangerous?
Rape statistics ignored.
i can totally see that in global rape statistics
Not safe, full of n*****s who stole my purse. I think Somalia is safer, there are fewer n*****s than in Sweden.
who wrote this article ? they must be very naive
SWEDEN IS NOT SAFE FOR WOMEN
whoever write this article is very naive
there are regular bomb attacks and as a female with blond hair and white skin it it horrible being chased by the Muslim men.
Whoever wrote this comment is very delusional…
Sweden is as safe for women as any country, although that doesn’t mean that it’s “safer” for women than men.
No “bomb attacks” at all and no “Muslim” men are chasing women here, at least not more than the “Swedish” men. As another commenter said – if you are not involved in criminal gangs or their activities, the odds of being the victim of a crime are extremely rare, even in the larger cities.
Don’t let people like “Mia” and this somewhat strange and “over-stereotyped” article discourage you from visiting Sweden. It’s a very safe and nice place to visit in general, most people are welcoming and glad to help you if you ask nicely (but I don’t know about Mia thou…). But of course, there are no guarantees, as with everything here in the world. Try to be as respectful as possible and you’ll be fine.
Bad place
I get constant death threats. And I live here, so I should know.
Sweden is not safe anymore. Safer than Africa sure. But not safe.
“no “Muslim” men are chasing women here, at least not more than the “Swedish” men” – Ahahahha. Good joke. I lived here all my life and 95% gang rapes, 93% of assault rapes and 65% of all rapes are commited by migrant men, even tho they are a small minority in comparison.
You should indeed be careful in Sweden night-time especially as a woman. Don’t walk alone.
There have also been many brutal murders by migrants and two terrorist-attacks. Last being Tommie Lindh, where a somali stabbed him to death and raped his friend in his blood. A mother with her kid was stabbed to death in Ikea by another african.
A guy named Stefan was stabbed to death also by an african just out taking an evening walk, it happens all the time..
Police doesn’t come as well so be aware, they might not come if you call.
If you visit day time it’s no problem generally, but be aware.
Not that safe
Aw please, I guess you live in a rich swedish area and not in the suburbs like most people.
Sweden is not safe in cities with a high percentage of immigrants, and almost all cities have a lot of immigrants.
How can you normalize murders and gang activities? It is not normal at all and it should not be tolerated. No one has a right to shoot anyone in the street.
You are hella cringe fr get a life like seriously and what does any of those have anything to do with muslims ,huh?
Every day in Swedish news we read about small children being threatened with knives to their throats to Hand over smartphones or shoes, older people getting attacked and robbed, explosions in people’s homes, women getting raped. The polices officers are outnumbered and its getting worse every day, this article would be more accurate if it was written in the 80s.
Which sweden is true the fairytail or the nightmare?
At this point your government is openly hostile to you swedes and sides with monsters proudly.Revolutions have been started for less.
Welcome to Norrland!
If you want a safe and peaceful journey, Västerbotten/Lapland might be for you:
-outdoor recreations, nature and other activities are never far away
-we also have nice spas, coffee shops, restaurants, museums, etc.
(Do some research in advance to make sure that you visit the best places)
The most dangerous things I’ve experienced here are mosquitos and cold temperatures… 😉
i have been to sweden and i must say that theres nearly more immigrants than local people.
Sweden WAS fantastic
I’ve lived 40+ years in Sweden and it has changed A LOT to the worse the last 10-20 years. The prior isolated problems with criminal immigrants has spread from certain areas to nearly everywhere, even small cities has problems with criminal gangs nowadays and they don’t about bystanders when shooting each others. Even children has been hit and killed by gunfire.
I’m sorry to say it but our naive and deillusional politicians has created a huge mess which will be hard or Impossible to revert. And the left-wing is doing its best to use smoke and mirrors to deny reality.
Mugging and rape and murder have skyrocketed lately. I speak from experience. I live here. My neighbor got shot by an imported immigrant.
Very bad place
A young boy got molested by an old man. Just round the corner here. Don’t stay up late if you are a victim. Lots of guns and drugs. But you are safe as long as you keep to yourself and don’t do stupid things. You might get robbed otherwise. Go in groups or don’t go at all. Comon sense.
Will Muhammad. You doing like an neurotic paranoid overachiever. You better lock yourself in for the saké of others. What a wanker.
Really bad
Beware of desinformation
Sweden has a bad reputation on the internet for a few very dumb reasons.
First one is that Sweden has a high number of reported rape cases. That is not because rape is more common in Sweden, but because more crimes count as rape than in almost any other country. Many things that would count as molesting in USA count as rape in Sweden for example.
On top of that there are many so called “troll factories” spreading desinformation about Sweden for political gains. Russians do it because Sweden is a Nato candidate for example. Even Donald Trump has been exposed spreading desinformation about Sweden, only because of his dislike of socialism.
There are literally zero dangerous areas to go to in Swedish cities. Due to the government basically handing out free money to unemployed citizens, true poverty doesn’t exist. There are gangs but they are only hostile towards other gangs, they have never done anything to a tourist ever.
You are delusional. I’m Swedish, lived here all my life and it’s not safe. Watch out for migrant criminals.
You can walk everywhere until something happens of course. Including Syria. Most days you won’t get killed.
Russia spreading misinformation? Allow me to laugh.. LOL
Sweden is VERY safe
Absolutely! There are so many disinformed people on the web, and the media loves to slurp up anything going slightly wrong in Sweden as “trouble in paradise”.
Be aware
Sweden has unfortunately changed to the worse the last 5-10 years from a safety point of view.
Aggressive Arabic and African Muslim immigrants makes life difficult.
There are several no-go zones in the major cities but even the smalles city is affected and you should be aware.
For me as a long time Swede I do not recognize my own country and it’s sad for such a great country.
You’re American so you never visited Sweden.
Not safe for women
High risk of encountering danger during evening/night
gangs of men with foreign background from middle east and africa are everywhere in Sweden except in the archipelago or upper-class areas.
women don’t dare to go out during evenings in many areas so don’t go to Sweden if you’re a woman or a smaller man as you’ll be an easy target.
Dangerous
gangs that consists of mostly men with foreign background from middle east and africa are everywhere in Sweden except in the archipelago or upper-class areas.
women don’t dare to go out during evenings in many areas so don’t go to Sweden if you’re a woman or a smaller man as you’ll be an easy target.
Sweden is very safe
Shocked by the absurd amount of fake statistics and blatant racism in the comments! I used to live in Denmark and not surprisingly everyone who I heard commenting negative things about Sweden were white, middle to high middle class, racist nationalists who were terrified of seeing their country become more mixed. The ppl who weren’t like that loved Sweden and thought of it as incredibly safe! My experience in the country was also very positive!
Usually, very left people write as you do. You have no idea. I’m Swedish and we have the highest shooting in Europe. Trust me, it’s not native Swedish people behind those statistics. Our government gives away our country to the immigrants.
Sweden is comitting suicide
So you’re a tourist. Gotcha. Very informative.
Stop lying.
Sweden is very safe.
There are better European countries to visit
Rapes are increasing at an alarming rate. If you’re a woman, don’t come alone. // Swede
Somewhere inbetween.
To say Sweden has no problems is very naive. But I don’t think it’s as bad as some people claim. However, there are a few things we should address.
Sweden is going through a pretty extreme racist anti-immigration propaganda campaign led by the Swedish right wing sector and media, right-wing even for a western neoliberal country. Exacerbated by proven bot and misinformation campaigns from Russia attempting to decrease public opinion about the country and keep it from joining the EU.
The way these “people” want Sweden to seem seems even more dangerous than the immigrants’ countries of origin which are actual conflict zones, although somehow other countries with similar numbers of migrants don’t have these issues. What gives?
I’ve never been there, but this has been proven to be true and vast amounts of crime statistics have been shown to be misconstrued or to be straight up fabrication. Take these comments with a massive grain of salt.
LOL don’t trust your lying eyes it’s just misinformation and Russia definitely don’t look or pay attention to those racist statistics just bury your head in the sand just make sure it’s not in a no go zone.
Sweden is the gun violence capital of Europe. It becomes worse and worse every year and the politicians don’t dare to do anything about it and our news papers hide this as much as they can to keep the truth away from people. Today for example we had 6 shootings and one grenade attack ONLY in Stockholm. If you want to travel here, avoid the cities as much as you can and always stay alert of your surroundings if you still happen to visit a city (Uppsala, Malmo, Gothenburg or Stockholm). This applies especially after dark when you could get killed by simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The gangs don’t give a ****. Avoid lonely streets and dark alleys!
Don't come alone
I live here, it’s not safe if you come alone. Especially at night in bigger cities.
05/06/23 – Can we please get dates on these comments? What is the current situation in Stockholm?
Lots of trolls for sure
I mean you have to be ether dumb or naive if you think Sweden is an unsafe country.
I personally don’t agree with Sweden migration policy and I hope it will change for the better. But let’s be clear, you are very safe in Sweden as long as you use normal common sense. Having visited and lived in many parts of the world I can say this with confidence.
Lots of trolls here indeed
I appreciate someone else’s honesty! There are way too many trolls here.
Sweden 24/june 2023
Lived in sweden my entier life . It is definetly safe . I been to USA i been to The United arab Emirates to. Stockholm is safter then Malmö. But most cities has areas to avoid and most turist never get to those places anyway. But no place in The world is safe if being critic. And me as a woman no i am not as other mentioned being chased by muslim men. No idea where that person been. And yes i am blonde blue eyes. Read more sites And gather more info And drag conclusions.
Lets be fair!
Let’s not exaggerate the risks here.
– Pickpockets are everywhere, but it’s not very common in Sweden.
– The risk for natural disasters certainly cannot be rated on the fact that it gets cold in the winter and that it can be icy or snowy. Hardly counts as a natural disaster, does it.
– Everything is relative, but let’s face it. Terrorist attact a so rare, so the risk is dangerously LOW.
– If you don’t count internet scams, which usually is performed by people outside of Sweden, then there really isn’t many scams that will affect tourism, at all.
If one is looking for trouble, or goes into places one know is a bit more troublesome, one is going to run into trouble. But let’s make a fair rating here. Except for a few areas in the bigger cities, there really isn’t anything to worry about. And I wouldn’t worry too much about bad areas anyway. Just be observant and choose the time of day. Also, most tourist attractions isn’t found in those areas anyway.
And as the cities are super safe, generally, let’s not talk about how safe it is outside of the city.
Every category in the list should be at “Low”, nothing else. The rating I would expect to be more in line with that of Denmark (and that applies for Norway too).
Don't be afraid
A little biased since I was born and grew up here. But having travelled and lived in many places around the world I can sincerely say there is no place I feel safer than here. Right now there violent crimes get a lot of attention in the headlines, which has a lot to do with drug related crimes and a too far gone liberalisation of everything, breaking down the social welfare and negleting the importance of integration when receiving a huge amount of immigrants. But that does not mean it is perfectly safe almost everywhere, bith daytime and night time. I can not say there are any areas I would stay away from my self. I lived in Gottsunda, which is one of the “no go” zones in Uppsala. Real life is very different from the picture social media and media outlets give you. People are nice and helpful everywhere, but won’t come engage with you unless you explicitly seek their attention. That is how Swedes are. The “socially challenged” zones (as I prefer to call the “no go” zones them) are different in that a minority is Swedish, and it is hard to generalise what these are like. In any case, you should not be naive anywhere in the world, but the risk of something bad happening to you in Sweden is a lot lower than most places I can think of on this earth.