Denmark immigrant crime statistics by country of birth
Rape, sexual offence, violent crime and homicide rates for Denmark by migrant background, from Statistics Denmark (DST). Every figure shows how many times as likely a group is to be recorded, with the native Danish comparison group named in each table as the 1× per-capita baseline.
- Violent offencesDanish-born descendants, MENAPT 4.0× as likely to be convicted of violence as men of Danish origin.
Rape & sexual offences in Denmark by country of birth
This layer only includes countries that publish a comparable per-capita rate for this offence. Missing data is not zero.
Violent offences in Denmark by country of birth
2025
| Group | Times as likely | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Men of Danish origin | 1.0× | Baseline |
| Immigrants from MENAPT | 2.4× | Index 219 vs 91 |
| Danish-born descendants, MENAPT | 4.0× | Index 362 vs 91 |
MENAPT: Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey. Age adjustment does not establish a cause.
2016
| Group | Times as likely | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Men of Danish origin | 1.0× | Baseline |
| Immigrants from MENAPT | 3.0× | Index 265 vs 88 |
| Danish-born descendants, MENAPT | 4.4× | Index 383 vs 88 |
MENAPT: Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey. Age adjustment does not establish a cause.
Homicide & offences against life in Denmark by country of birth
This layer only includes countries that publish a comparable per-capita rate for this offence. Missing data is not zero.
Foreign prisoners in Denmark: 2008–2024
In 2024, foreign citizens in Denmark were 2.8× as likely to be in prison as Danish citizens and made up 25.3% of prisoners. That ranks Denmark 21 of 31 European countries, against a median of 3.1×.
| Year | Times as likely | Prisoners foreign | Population foreign |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.8× | 25.3% | 10.9% |
| 2023 | 3.1× | 26.6% | 10.5% |
| 2022 | 3.5× | 27.2% | 9.6% |
| 2021 | 3.4× | 25.4% | 9.2% |
| 2020 | 3.8× | 28.1% | 9.2% |
| 2019 | 4.1× | 29.0% | 9.1% |
| 2018 | 4.2× | 28.6% | 8.8% |
| 2017 | 4.3× | 28.3% | 8.4% |
| 2016 | 4.4× | 28.0% | 8.1% |
| 2015 | 4.6× | 27.0% | 7.5% |
| 2014 | 5.1× | 28.0% | 7.1% |
| 2013 | 5.1× | 26.8% | 6.7% |
| 2012 | 5.0× | 25.6% | 6.4% |
| 2011 | 4.1× | 21.2% | 6.2% |
| 2010 | 4.3× | 21.6% | 6.0% |
| 2009 | 4.5× | 21.8% | 5.8% |
| 2008 | 5.2× | 22.9% | 5.5% |
Foreign prisoner rates across Europe: where Denmark ranks
- 1Greece14×
- 2Croatia9.0×
- 3Slovenia8.8×
- 4Switzerland6.8×
- 5Liechtenstein5.8×
- 6Belgium5.1×
- 7Italy4.8×
- 8Austria4.6×
- 9Finland4.3×
- 10Slovakia3.9×
- 11Cyprus3.7×
- 12Luxembourg3.5×
- 13France3.4×
- 14Iceland3.2×
- 15Poland3.2×
- 16Spain3.1×
- 17Sweden3.1×
- 18Norway2.9×
- 19Netherlands2.9×
- 20Malta2.8×
- 21Denmark2.8×
- 22Estonia2.3×
- 23Turkey2.2×
- 24Portugal1.9×
- 25Bulgaria1.7×
- 26Hungary1.6×
- 27Ireland1.1×
- 28Czech Republic0.9×
- 29Lithuania0.8×
- 30Romania0.7×
- 31Latvia0.4×
Denmark migrant crime: common questions
- Are migrants more likely to commit crime in Europe?
- In the countries that publish crime rates by origin (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany), people born abroad, and some second-generation groups, are recorded as suspects, charged or convicted at higher rates than native-born residents. The multiple varies widely by offence, country of birth, age and sex. Each figure on this site is shown as times as likely, with native-born residents as the 1× baseline.
- What do the rape and sexual offence statistics by nationality show?
- Sweden publishes rape suspects by country of birth separately, which gives the clearest comparison. Norway only publishes one combined sexual-offence group that also includes non-contact offences, so its multiples are lower and not directly comparable. Every country page shows the exact measure, period and source for each multiple.
- What are the crime statistics for illegal migrants in Europe?
- No European country publishes a reliable per-capita crime rate for illegal migrants alone, because people without legal residence are not counted in the population figures needed to calculate a rate. Most official rates count registered residents by country of birth or citizenship. Germany comes closest: its police statistics (PKS) report an immigrant category (Zuwanderer) that includes asylum seekers, refugees, tolerated persons and people staying without permission. Foreign-citizen prison counts on the map can also include people without legal residence held on remand or awaiting deportation.
- Are asylum seekers more likely to commit crime?
- Germany is the main country that publishes police suspect figures for asylum seekers and refugees as a group, through the Zuwanderer category in its PKS, and that group is recorded as suspects out of proportion to its share of the population. These are suspect counts, not convictions, and the group is younger and more male than the general population, which on its own raises recorded crime rates. The Germany report on this site shows the multiples and sources.
- Are there rape statistics for illegal migrants?
- Not as a separate per-capita rate. Rape and sexual-offence statistics by origin are published by country of birth (Sweden, Norway) or citizenship and immigrant status (Germany), not by legal residence. Germany’s PKS breaks out the Zuwanderer category, which includes people staying without permission, but does not publish a rate for that subgroup on its own.
- Why are suspects, charges and convictions used instead of one measure?
- Each country publishes a different stage of the justice process. Sweden reports registered suspects, Norway reports charges, Denmark reports convictions and Germany reports police suspects. A suspect or charge is not a conviction, and one person can be counted more than once.
- How are foreign prisoner rates calculated?
- For each country, the share of prisoners holding a foreign citizenship is divided by the foreign share of the population, using Eurostat data. The result shows how many times as likely a foreign citizen is to be in prison as a citizen. Prison figures reflect sentencing, remand and deportation practice as well as offending.
- Are the numbers adjusted for age, sex or income?
- Headline multiples are unadjusted unless stated. Where a source publishes like-for-like figures, such as Norway’s figures for men aged 15–24, they are shown as a separate view so you can compare.
- How many prisoners in Denmark are foreign citizens?
- In 2024, 25.3% of prisoners in Denmark held a foreign citizenship, while foreign citizens made up 10.9% of the population. That makes a foreign citizen 2.8× as likely to be in prison as a Danish citizen (Eurostat).
- How does Denmark compare with the rest of Europe?
- Denmark ranks 21 of 31 European countries by how much more likely foreign citizens are to be in prison than citizens. The median across those countries in 2024 was 3.1×.