Stockholm city security survey 2026: Insecurity is decreasing in all city districts

Stockholm has made clear progress in terms of the work against insecurity, shows the report Stockholm City Safety Survey 2026. The survey is presented every three years and includes the responses of roughly 14,000 Stockholmers regarding the perceived safety - and the report states that there is "a broad improvement" regarding all of the city's measurement areas.

In this year's survey, 17 percent state that they feel unsafe being alone out in the evening - a figure that in 2023 was 21 percent.

- Insecurity has decreased by 4 percentage points and it is also the lowest during the measurement period, says social and security councilor Alexander Ojanne (S).

The result per district, all 11 district areas have made clear improvements compared to the previous measurement regarding insecurity. This also applies to district areas that have had a high proportion of active drug scenes and vulnerable areas. But even though clear improvements have been made, above all Skärholmen, Järva and Hässelby-Vällingby are still high in terms of perceived insecurity (with 34, 27 and 27 percent respectively feeling unsafe in the evening).

The report also shows progress regarding the problems with drug trafficking in all district areas, except in Bromma (which is, however, at relatively low levels). Here, too, areas that have historically had problems with drug sales in particular have made clear improvements. Skärholmen, Järva and Skarpnäck have more than halved the percentage who experience it as a big problem (and now land at 9, 8 and 4 percent respectively in this year's survey).

- We have turned an upward trend into a rather sharp downward trend, says Alexander Ojanne.

The report also shows that fewer people want to move from their residential area due to insecurity, a lot of crime and disorder. This year's figure for the entire city is 5 percent - to be compared with 6-8 percent during the last three measurements. Before that, however, the figure was only 4 percent since the measurements began in 2008.

Emilia Bjuggren (S), financial council candidate and first name on the list for Stockholm City Hall, emphasizes that both preventive and repressive measures against criminals are needed to increase security.

- It is the combination between the physical investments that provide safer streets and squares together with the outreach work that targets both addicts and homeless people who need help to get out of their situation that leads to results, she says.

Opposition City Councilor Christofer Fjellner (M) welcomes the decline in insecurity in this year's survey, but points out that Stockholm is part of a larger trend in that development with, among other things, a greatly reduced number of shootings. He also points out that there are neighborhoods in Stockholm where a high percentage are still very unsafe.

- All people in their right mind realize that security here and now is about police officers, cameras and security guards. They are the ones who affect security here and now. I don't think people in Skärholmen have become safer because the government here in the city hall has fired 2 out of 3 security guards, says Christofer Fjellner.