Albania, among the countries with the highest murder rate in Europe, relative to population

2026-04-30 07:07:00, Aktualitet CNA

Albania, among the countries with the highest murder rate in Europe, relative to

Albania ranks among the top 10 countries in Europe for the high number of intentional homicides, in relation to the population, according to data made public by Eurostat.

In 2024, 41 intentional homicides were recorded in the country (figure published by Eurostat), which in relation to the population of that year is 1.71 homicides per 100 thousand inhabitants (calculated by Monitor).

At this level, Albania ranks eighth after Lithuania (2.63), Latvia (2.4), Turkey (2.27), Montenegro (1.92), Estonia (1.82), Iceland (1.82), and Finland (1.78).

Compared to a year ago, when there were 1.27 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in the country, there is a significant increase in this indicator for Albania for two reasons. First, the number of murders increased from 35 to 41, according to Eurostat. Second, the calculations for 2024 were made with the population according to the new Census, of 2.39 million inhabitants, from 2.76 million in 2023.

The highest number of murders in the country was recorded in 2016, with 71 victims, according to historical Eurostat data, or 2.46 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.

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According to Eurostat, in 2024, 3,953 intentional homicides were recorded in the EU, a slight increase of 1% compared to 2023, or 56 more criminal offences recorded by the police. Meanwhile, compared to 2014, when 4,448 intentional homicides were recorded, the number of these offences fell by 11%.

During the period 2014-2024, the number of intentional homicides fluctuated. The highest level was recorded in 2015, with 4,616 cases reported. From 2016 onwards, the trend was downward, reaching 3,735 cases in 2019. In 2020, this decline was interrupted and intentional homicides increased slightly to 3,820, before falling again to the lowest level of the series in 2021, with 3,645 cases.

After 2021, the trend reversed, with increases each year, from 3,838 cases in 2022, to 3,897 in 2023 and 3,953 in 2024. Despite this recent increase, the 2024 level remains lower than the mid-decade peak, about 14% less than in 2015.

Overall, the ranking shows that the highest levels of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants are concentrated in the Baltic countries and some Balkan countries. In the Baltic countries, such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the highest rates are linked to historical and social factors, such as the legacy of the post-Soviet transition, high alcohol consumption, family and personal conflicts, and social inequalities.

Even the smaller population size means that a relatively limited number of cases has a greater impact on the indicator per 100,000 inhabitants, according to reports from the WHO, OECD, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which has published global studies on homicides.

Turkey, third in the ranking with 2.27 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, is a case in point due to its large population and internal social, political and regional factors. The relatively high level is linked to domestic violence, personal conflicts, inequalities between regions, as well as the influence of organised crime in some areas, according to global reports.

In the Balkans, which includes Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, the highest levels are more related to factors such as personal, property and family conflicts, blood feuds, arms circulation, weaknesses in law enforcement and the influence of organised crime in some areas. Montenegro and Albania are followed by Kosovo (1.57 for 2020, the latest available data), North Macedonia (1.1) and the lowest in Serbia (0.8).

Finland may be the happiest country in the world according to the World Happiness Report, but this does not exclude the presence of specific social problems that appear in the violence statistics, ranking in the top ten. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, for Finland, the relatively higher level is not related to general insecurity in public spaces, but more to the structure of homicides. Studies and data for the country show that a large proportion of cases are related to interpersonal, family or acquaintance violence, often accompanied by alcohol use.

For Iceland, in a small country, a limited number of cases can significantly increase the rate per 100,000 inhabitants from one year to the next. Iceland, although it rises in this ranking for 2024, remains among the safest and most peaceful countries in the world in international indices, according to domestic reports.

In the middle group are countries such as Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Croatia, where homicide rates are above or close to 1 per 100,000 inhabitants. In these countries, cases are more related to urban crime, domestic violence, social tensions and, in some cases, the influence of organised crime or trafficking networks.

At the bottom of the ranking are countries such as Italy, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Poland, where rates are below 0.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. These countries are usually characterized by more consolidated institutions, more effective law enforcement, stronger gun control, more developed social systems and earlier intervention in family or community conflicts. /Monitor

Albania, among the countries with the highest murder rate in Europe, relative to