In recent years, Sweden has seen a significant increase in economic crime, in tandem with the rise in violent crime.

Criminals in Sweden are estimated to make between 100 and 150 billion Swedish kronor (8.8 to 13.2 billion euros) a year, Swedish state television SVT reported. A new police report says the crime economy causes huge losses to society.

„I’m optimistic about the future, but I think things will get worse before they get better,” said Annika Ohmark, coordinator in charge of combating crime economy in the Eastern police region.

In recent years, Sweden has seen a significant increase in economic crime, in parallel with the rise in violent crime.

In addition to the black economy related to crime creating an unhealthy competition, it also correlates with an increase in murders, shootings and bombings in recent years. Fraud is currently estimated to be the biggest source of income for criminal gangs, SVT reports.

The police also note that gang criminals are increasingly relying on extortion and threats to recover fictitious or real debts. Last year some 9,000 extortion crimes were reported in Sweden, a 30 per cent increase on the previous year.

Thousands of people across Sweden are members of various rival criminal gangs, spurring fears that these gangs will spread to Denmark, Norway and Finland. Criminals have been sent from Sweden all the way to Iceland to commit crimes.

„We know that if we arrest one person, there are others ready to take over, so we must continue to work against the networks and cooperate with other actors both externally and internally,” Annika Ohmark told SVT.

The Swedish Economic Crime Authority estimates that 130 billion Swedish kronor (almost 11.5 billion euros) is being laundered every year and that the activity skyrocketed by 24 per cent in a single year from 2022 to 2023.

A report by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Bra) had previously documented that criminal clans have infiltrated all segments of Swedish society, including the police force.