Trump Criticizes European Immigration Policies, Claims Sweden “Unsafe” Despite Data

Donald Trump has launched a fresh wave of criticism against several European countries, focusing particularly on their immigration policies. During a December 9 interview with Politico, the former US president characterized Europe as “weak” and in “decay,” claiming that countries have prioritized political correctness over security.

Trump singled out Sweden in his remarks, stating: “If you look at Sweden, Sweden was known as the safest country in Europe, one of the safest countries in the world. Now it’s known as a very unsafe, well, quite unsafe country. It’s hard to believe that’s true; it’s a completely different country.”

The former president continued his critique by claiming European nations have allowed “millions of people to pour into their countries” and that “many of these people are committing tremendous crimes.” He added: “Again, look at Sweden. I’m not bashing Sweden, I love Sweden. I love the Swedish people, but it has gone from being a country free of crime to a country that now has a lot of crime.”

However, an examination of global safety metrics presents a more nuanced picture than Trump’s characterization suggests.

According to the Global Peace Index, which evaluates countries based on safety, security, ongoing conflicts, and militarization levels, Sweden ranked 35th out of 163 countries with a score of 1.709 (with scores closer to 1 indicating greater peace and safety). By comparison, the United States ranked significantly lower at 128th place with a score of 2.443.

European nations dominate the Global Peace Index rankings, with eight countries appearing in the top 10. Iceland and Ireland lead the list with scores of 1.095 and 1.26, respectively, highlighting Europe’s overall strong safety record.

Homicide statistics provide another comparative measure. According to Eurostat data, Sweden recorded a homicide rate of 1.15 per 100,000 people in 2023, an increase from 0.9 in 2014. While this uptick does support the notion that safety conditions have somewhat deteriorated in Sweden, the country’s murder rate remains substantially lower than that of the United States.

Even New Hampshire, the safest U.S. state according to the National Center for Health Statistics, recorded a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 people in 2023 – significantly higher than Sweden’s rate. Washington D.C. topped the American list with an alarming 33.1 homicides per 100,000 residents.

Sweden has indeed experienced a concerning trend in gang-related violence, particularly fatal shootings, which have increased steadily since 2013. This pattern runs counter to trends in other European countries and has surprised Swedish criminologists. The violence is primarily associated with criminal gangs involved in territorial disputes and drug trafficking, with young men often recruited to carry out these activities.

The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has identified social media platforms like TikTok as playing an increasingly significant role, with perpetrators frequently glorifying their criminal activities online. In response to these challenges, the Swedish government proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 years in October, aiming to address the recruitment of minors by criminal gangs.

Despite these challenges, Swedish authorities recently reported that the number of active gang criminals in the country has remained stable in 2025, showing neither an increase nor decrease.

For contextual comparison, the highest European homicide rates according to Eurostat were found in Latvia (4.20), Turkey (2.54), and Lithuania (2.41), followed by Belgium (1.38). The lowest rates were recorded in Liechtenstein (0.0), Malta (0.37), and Italy (0.57).

While Sweden has experienced an increase in specific types of crime, particularly gang-related violence, data suggests it remains significantly safer than the United States and continues to be among the more secure nations globally.