Crime in Finland - statistics & facts
Finland is known as a safe country, with crime levels among the working population being comparable to those of other Nordic countries. Property and traffic offenses are the most common types of crime, constituting the majority of all criminal offenses and violations. In general, a lower number of criminal offenses has been recorded over the past decade. However, the exceptional circumstances during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to an increase in the criminal offenses after a long period of decline.
Generally speaking, the total number of offenses and crimes against life has been decreasing since the beginning of the 1990’s. The number of negligent homicide victims in Finland was 89 in 2022, compared to 142 in 2012. The rates are notably lower than in Russia or the Baltic States, but still higher than in other Nordic countries. This difference has been explained by the role of alcohol use and social exclusion as underlying factors.
Thefts and traffic offenses spiked during 2022
Based on data from 2022, almost 476,000 crime cases were reported to the Finnish authorities, which was a slight decrease compared the previous year. The overall crime rate reached 85.54 per 1,000 population, compared to roughly 87 per 1,000 inhabitants in the year before. In particular, thefts and traffic offenses spiked during 2022. Of all of the reported offenses and violations, about a quarter were traffic offenses.Generally speaking, the total number of offenses and crimes against life has been decreasing since the beginning of the 1990’s. The number of negligent homicide victims in Finland was 89 in 2022, compared to 142 in 2012. The rates are notably lower than in Russia or the Baltic States, but still higher than in other Nordic countries. This difference has been explained by the role of alcohol use and social exclusion as underlying factors.
