Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Crime in Iceland - Statistics & Facts
Iceland is considered by many as one of the safest countries in the world to live in, with very low crime and murder rates. For instance, the country has one of the lowest murder rates in Europe, and only two persons were killed on the island in 2021. However, Iceland has a comparatively high rate of reported cases of sexual violence compared to other European countries, but this may also be a sign that Icelanders have a higher trust in their criminal justice system, and there is less social stigma attached to the victims of sexual or domestic abuse in Iceland. Moreover, the rate of reported violent assaults increased slightly over the past decade, but it is still low by European standards. In April 2021, a brutal murder linked to organized crime shocked the otherwise peaceful country, underlining that the country does not go unaffected by this type of crime.
Police and prisoners
In 2021, there were 660 police officers in Iceland, which gives a ratio of 1.79 police officers per 1,000 people. Police officers in Iceland do not carry weapons; another indication of the general safety level in the country. There were 142 people in prison as of 2021. Furthermore, a high share of the suspects are men, and a majority of the crime suspects have an Icelandic citizenship. Foreigners do make up a disproportionate share of offenders in relation to their population size, however this is more often attributed to the link between crime and low income, as non-Icelanders earn less on average. Additionally, some of the sentences are given because of violations of immigration law, which would rarely apply to Icelanders.Non-violent crimes
Even though Iceland generally is a peaceful country, this does not mean that no crimes at all occur. By far, most of the crimes committed were traffic offenses, followed by penal violations. Most of the crimes were registered in the Capital region, which is also where most of the inhabitants in Iceland live. There was a ban on beer in Iceland until 1989, and there were 300 registered cases of alcohol related offenses in 2021, an unusually low number because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The legal drinking age is 20 years. In 2021, 3,800 thefts were committed in Iceland, and there were 1,700 drug offenses registered.
