Youth violence and prevention in the Nordic countries

Youth violence, particularly gang-related crime, has become a growing concern across the Nordic countries – reflecting a global trend. The rise in violent acts among adolescents has brought attention to the increasing involvement of young people in street gangs across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. But notably, Sweden stands out for having the highest prevalence of youth street gang involvement, with cities like Stockholm reporting particularly alarming figures – the highest in the EU.

In 2023, Reuters reported that 55 people were shot dead in 363 separate shootings in Sweden, a country of just 10 million people. Comparatively, only six fatal shootings occurred across the other three Nordic countries—Norway, Finland, and Denmark—combined during the same period.

This briefing aims to provide a short overview of the youth violence situation in the Nordic countries, with a particular focus on gang violence and also looks at the strategies that the Nordics have implemented to prevent further escalation of the situation.

Sweden tops statistics

The International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD4), which spans over 50 countries, offers a comparative analysis of youth delinquency, with a focus on gang involvement in Nordic cities. According to the data, Sweden leads these statistics with an 11% youth gang involvement rate, followed by Finland at 9%, and Denmark, Iceland, and Norway at around 6% each. Stockholm, the Swedish capital, stands out with 16% of youth reportedly involved in street gangs.

In 2022, 73 Swedish youths aged 15-20 were suspected of murder or attempted murder with firearms, a stark increase from just 10 a decade earlier. Eurostat data further details that in 2021, 25 people aged 15-24 were killed by gun violence in Sweden, second in the EU only to France, which recorded 40 such deaths across a population six times larger than Sweden’s.

This has led governments across the Nordic countries to address the issue. In Finland, the center-right government said it plans tougher penalties and other means to ensure that gang-related crime in Finland does not explode as it has in Sweden – and the Finnish prime minister also said that the street violence is partly due to the unsuccessful integration of immigrants into Finland.

Though it has made headlines globally because of the stark numbers, the rise of youth violence and gang participation in the Nordic countries, particularly Sweden, reflects a global trend. The academic study of street gangs began in the early 20th century, and while the Nordic region historically enjoyed low crime rates, increasing socio-economic inequality across the Nordics has led to divisions between prosperous and disadvantaged urban areas which some associate with the resurgence in gang-related violence.

Swedish authorities have also reported that ever younger individuals are being recruited into gangs, with those committing serious crimes getting younger. In 2022, 29.7% of gang violence suspects in Sweden were aged 15-20, compared to 16.9% a decade earlier.

Gang-related activities in the Nordic countries –particularly in Sweden – have shown fluctuating patterns, with some decreases in overall violence since 2020. However, gang-involved youth are disproportionately responsible for more violent crimes, property offenses, and drug-related activities. Gangs often provide a sense of belonging, especially in areas where social cohesion is weak, facilitating the recruitment of adolescents.

What has caused this?

Across the Nordics, the research and authorities have identified similar key factors contributing to youth gang involvement, including peer influence, family dynamics, and social environments that encourage delinquency. Hence, addressing these has become crucial for effective prevention strategies.

One of the most significant risk factors is the influence of peers and the role of social groups in promoting criminal behavior. According to a Swedish study, adolescents who have close friends involved in gangs were also much more likely to engage in criminal activities themselves. This is particularly apparent in Stockholm, where 16% of youth reported having friends in gangs. These relationships then foster pro-criminal attitudes, increasing the likelihood of participation in crimes such as property offenses, drug sales, and violence.

Areas with higher levels of neighborhood crime and perceived discrimination are also at higher risk of youth gang involvement. Adolescents in such environments may feel disconnected from mainstream society, making them more susceptible to gang recruitment. This issue is particularly pressing in Stockholm but is also a concern across other Nordic cities.

Current prevention strategies

Efforts to prevent youth gang involvement in the Nordic countries have largely focused on targeting at-risk populations. Sweden, for example, has implemented community-based policing and youth mentorship programs in high-risk areas and the role of Crime Prevention Councils, which exist in 90% of municipalities, is crucial in coordinating efforts between police, schools, and other local actors. These are part of the increased local-level responsibility for youth crime and violence prevention (imposed by the Municipal Responsibility for Crime Prevention Act) which mandates the municipalities to take a more active role in local crime prevention. This law requires municipalities to conduct situational analyses of local crime and develop actionable crime prevention plans with biannual reviews.

The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) has said that the legislation and local-level work has led to a modest reduction in youth gang recruitment in Stockholm’s marginalised neighborhood, but similarly, the institution has highlighted the challenges. There are future plans to assign greater responsibility to social services and schools in Sweden for early intervention – something that mirrors discussions in the UK on the role of multi-agency collaboration in crime prevention. At the same time, not all municipalities are equipped with enough resources to make these plans a reality.

In Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, there has been a concerted effort to identify at-risk youth early, as some studies have identified a clear link between growing up in disadvantaged areas and being involved in violent criminality. These efforts often involve engaging with adolescents already exhibiting signs of delinquent behavior and offering alternatives through education, mentorship, and recreational activities. For instance, Sweden has implemented community-based policing and youth mentorship programs in high-risk areas, promising results in reducing gang recruitment and youth violence.

In Denmark, the Safer Cities Program is one that addressed youth delinquency. This initiative combined after-school programs, mentorship, and local policing efforts, and saw a 12% drop in youth gang involvement in Copenhagen since its implementation in 2017. Despite these successes, experts have argued that scaling these programs to meet rising demand is challenging, especially in light of funding cuts during the pandemic.

Challenges and future of implementation

Despite these efforts, the implementation of prevention strategies has faced challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many ongoing programs, and generally, participation from schools and local governments has been inconsistent across regions, impacting the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Though social marginalisation is not the primary driver of youth gang involvement in the Nordic region, it has exacerbated the problem in certain areas. This means that policymakers have said that more investment is needed in marginalised communities, improving access to education, job training, and recreational activities.

Given the shared challenges of youth violence across the Nordic countries, there is a significant opportunity for enhanced regional collaboration. While Sweden, particularly Stockholm, has the highest rates of youth gang involvement, all Nordic countries are grappling with these issues, and looking at the solutions together – the Nordic ministerial meeting in March this year was one example of the nations working together to address the cross-border issue.