The Burglary Hotspots of Europe

Even though Denmark is among the countries with the lowest overall organized crime index points around the world according to data by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, it still ranks highest in Europe when it comes to the number of domestic burglaries with 602 reported cases per 100,000 inhabitants. As our chart based on data from Eurostat shows, Western and Northern European countries show the highest burglary rate on the continent.

Coming in second after Denmark is Belgium with 410 burglaries per 100,000 inhabitants. Sweden takes the third spot with 337 cases of burglary per 100,000 residents. Denmark's not only ranking among the top countries in Europe, but also around the world in this regard. According to data compiled by BudgetDirect, the Northern European country ranks eighth in the world in terms of burglaries per 100,000 inhabitants. One likely reason for this comparably high rate can be found in an analysis released in the economic journal Samfundsøkonomen in 2018. The researchers cite the typical Danish type of dwelling as the culprit, since "a large proportion of Danish homes are detached, stand-alone structures which tend to have a greater risk of burglary than semi-detached houses, row houses, and apartments."

Overall, Denmark ranked 150th out of 193 countries and regions in terms of organized crime. The top spots were occupied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia and Myanmar.