Number of terrorist attacks in Sweden

Sweden: Number of terrorist attacks was 5 attacks in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
5 attacks
Change on year
up 66.7%
World rank
47th
of 188 countries
All-time high
35 attacks
in 2015
All-time low
0 attacks
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2021

Number of terrorist attacks in Sweden, 1970–2021

010203040197019952021

Source: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in attacks.

Analysis

Sweden recorded 5 attacks for number of terrorist attacks in 2021.

The figure is up 66.7% on the previous year and up 400.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of terrorist attacks in Sweden peaked at 35 attacks in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0 attacks, in 1970.

That places Sweden 47th out of 188 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of terrorist attacks in Sweden, year by year

Annual values for Number of terrorist attacks in Sweden, 1970 to 2021.
Year attacks Change
1970 0 attacks
1971 2 attacks
1972 3 attacks +50.0%
1973 0 attacks -100.0%
1974 0 attacks
1975 1 attacks
1976 0 attacks -100.0%
1977 0 attacks
1978 1 attacks
1979 1 attacks +0.0%
1980 0 attacks -100.0%
1981 0 attacks
1982 0 attacks
1983 1 attacks
1984 0 attacks -100.0%
1985 0 attacks
1986 3 attacks
1987 0 attacks -100.0%
1988 0 attacks
1989 3 attacks
1990 6 attacks +100.0%
1991 6 attacks +0.0%
1992 12 attacks +100.0%
1994 1 attacks -91.7%
1995 1 attacks +0.0%
1996 1 attacks +0.0%
1997 4 attacks +300.0%
1998 0 attacks -100.0%
1999 2 attacks
2000 1 attacks -50.0%
2001 0 attacks -100.0%
2002 0 attacks
2003 0 attacks
2004 0 attacks
2005 3 attacks
2006 1 attacks -66.7%
2007 0 attacks -100.0%
2008 1 attacks
2009 1 attacks +0.0%
2010 3 attacks +200.0%
2011 1 attacks -66.7%
2012 2 attacks +100.0%
2013 0 attacks -100.0%
2014 5 attacks
2015 35 attacks +600.0%
2016 16 attacks -54.3%
2017 18 attacks +12.5%
2018 6 attacks -66.7%
2019 2 attacks -66.7%
2020 3 attacks +50.0%
2021 5 attacks +66.7%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number of terrorist attacks in Sweden changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2015 +600.0% 5 attacks 35 attacks

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.8 attacks 0 attacks 3 attacks 10
1980s 0.7 attacks 0 attacks 3 attacks 10
1990s 3.67 attacks 0 attacks 12 attacks 9
2000s 0.7 attacks 0 attacks 3 attacks 10
2010s 8.8 attacks 0 attacks 35 attacks 10
2020s 4 attacks 3 attacks 5 attacks 2

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 44 Libya 8 attacks compare
  2. 45 Burundi 6 attacks compare
  3. 45 Netherlands 6 attacks compare
  4. 47 China 5 attacks compare
  5. 47 Peru 5 attacks compare
  6. 50 Brazil 4 attacks compare
  7. 50 Djibouti 4 attacks compare
  8. 50 Iran 4 attacks compare
  9. 50 Tunisia 4 attacks compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of terrorist attacks in Sweden?
Number of terrorist attacks in Sweden was 5 attacks in 2021, according to National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of terrorist attacks recorded in Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 35 attacks in 2015.
What is the lowest number of terrorist attacks recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 0 attacks in 1970.
How does Sweden rank for number of terrorist attacks?
Sweden ranks 47th out of 188 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of terrorist attacks rising or falling in Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is up 400.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sweden data come from?
The figures come from National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of terrorist attacks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of terrorist attacks in Sweden. Statizoid, drawing on National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/terrorist-attacks/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of terrorist attacks
Unit
attacks
Source
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 9,021 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Total number of terrorist attacks.