A new analysis from The Rockwool Foundation Research Unit shows a clear decrease in crime rates for newly arrived refugees in Denmark.
The analysis looks at crime statistics for refugees newly arrived between 1985 – 2019, examining changes over time in the proportion of this group who are convicted of a crime in the years after their arrival. The findings show a clear downward trend in conviction rates, regardless of age, gender or country of origin.
The topic of crime is often raised in discussions on refugees, other migrants and integration in Europe, with people advocating for ‘closing the borders’ based on a perception that these groups are causing crime rates to increase. In fact, crime rates in Denmark have been decreasing steadily since the 1990s, as this analysis confirms.
The analysis also notes that although the numbers are overall decreasing, refugee groups in Denmark do still have higher crime rates than people who are native Danes and other types of migrant from both Western and non-western countries. The most common form of crime, according to the report, is theft.
For further information on this report please email Camilla Hvidtfeldt via ch@rff.dk.