Crime in Spain
Open-knowledge reference entry
Overall, rates of crime in Spain are relatively low in comparison to other European countries, with the notable exception of robberies. In 2022 it was listed as number two out of 35 states in Europe with regard to the number of police-recorded robberies relative to population size, although in 2020 it had a lower homicide rate than the European Union average.
Crime by type
Theft
Instances of robbery are particularly widespread. As of 2020, Spain had the second highest recorded instances of theft in the EU. One of the often cited reasons for this is a deficient national law that states that theft of anything worth less than €400 ($459) is not a crime, but a misdemeanor. Additionally offenses for theft of anything valued less than 400 euro are not accumulated to result in more serious charges.
Homicide
In 2020, Spain had a homicide rate of 0.64 per 100,000 population, making it the 6th lowest among 30 European countries and lower than the European Union average of 0.9. There were a total of 298 homicides in Spain in 2020. Many terrorist attacks have occurred in Spain, the most deadly of which was the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
Asturias, in Northern Spain, has one of the countries' lowest crime rates. With a population of 1 million people, it registered only 1 homicide during 2021.
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