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Criminal penalties in Sweden
Checked in October 2026 against the Brottsbalken (1962:700) and the Traffic Offences Act (1951:649), as amended to SFS 2026:1656.
These are statutory ranges for a first offence, from the least to the most the law allows. A court decides the actual sentence in each case. We read the code in its original language and give the offences in plain English, with the legal term where it helps. For anything that matters, rely on the code itself. Not legal advice.
How Sweden sets penalties
- Swedish penalties are fines (böter) or prison (fängelse). Prison is for a fixed time or for life (livstid). A fixed term may not be less than one month (26 kap. 1 §). The article for each crime gives its scale.
- Most crimes come in grades. The basic crime has one scale. 'Ringa' (petty) has fines or a short prison term, 'grovt' (gross) has a higher scale, and a few crimes have 'synnerligen grovt' (exceptionally gross). Whether a crime is gross depends on the factors the article lists.
- Where a crime is 'mindre grovt' (less gross), a lower scale applies. Murder (mord) is for any intentional killing. Dråp (manslaughter) applies where the killing is less gross in view of the circumstances behind it.
- Fines are in day-fines (dagsböter) and are not shown here.
Death penalty: No. Sweden has abolished the death penalty, and the Instrument of Government forbids it.
Read the Sweden legal-system profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
First-degree murder
10 to 18 years, or life imprisonment
Mord (murder) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 10 years (a fixed term of 10 to 18 years)
- Most
- Life imprisonment (livstid)
Sweden's mord is intentionally taking another person's life. Life imprisonment is considered in particular if the act was preceded by careful planning, showed special cunning, was meant to further or hide other crime, caused severe suffering, or was otherwise especially ruthless.
Second-degree murder
6 to 10 years (dråp)
Dråp (manslaughter: a killing that is less gross than murder) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 6 years
- Most
- 10 years
Dråp (manslaughter) is the lighter offence where the killing is less gross in view of the circumstances behind it. It is Sweden's nearest offence to second-degree murder.
Voluntary manslaughter
Up to 3 years (killing by negligence) up to 6 to 10 years (dråp)
Vållande till annans död (causing another person's death by negligence) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 3 years
Or fines if the crime is petty.
Grovt vållande till annans död (the gross form: conscious serious risk-taking, or driving under the influence) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 2 years
- Most
- 6 years
Dråp (manslaughter) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 6 years
- Most
- 10 years
Dråp (3 kap. 2 §) is Sweden's offence for a killing that is less gross than murder, where the circumstances behind the act reduce its seriousness. Killing by negligence is shown for comparison. A woman who kills her child at birth in a disturbed state of mind is guilty of 'barnadråp' (up to 6 years).
Robbery
1 year 6 months to 6 years (rån) up to 5 to 10 years (grovt rån)
Rån (robbery: theft, extortion or taking a payment instrument by violence or by a threat that seems an acute danger) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 1 year 6 months
- Most
- 6 years
Grovt rån (gross robbery: life-threatening violence, serious bodily injury, ruthless exploitation of a defenceless victim, or a particularly dangerous act) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 10 years
Burglary
A fine or up to 1 year (hemfridsbrott) up to 1 to 6 years (grov stöld)
Hemfridsbrott (unlawfully entering or staying in another's home or similar dwelling) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 1 year
Or fines.
Grovt hemfridsbrott (the gross form) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 3 years
Stöld (theft causing damage) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Grov stöld (gross theft: taking something a person carried or had close by, armed, systematic, or of significant value, among other factors) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 6 years
Sweden has no offence named 'burglary'. Entering or staying unlawfully in another's home is 'hemfridsbrott' (breach of home peace), and a theft inside is theft. A break-in with other gross factors can be gross theft.
Arson
1 to 3 years (a less serious mordbrand) up to 6 to 18 years or life (grov mordbrand)
Mordbrand, less serious (a less serious arson) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 3 years
Mordbrand (arson) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 2 years
- Most
- 8 years
Grov mordbrand (gross arson: for example, in a built-up area where the fire could easily spread, or danger to several people) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 6 years (a fixed term of 6 to 18 years)
- Most
- Life imprisonment (livstid)
'Mordbrand' (arson) is setting a fire that endangers another's life or health or causes extensive destruction of another's property. It is the offence the scale below applies to.
Aggravated assault
Up to 2 years (misshandel) up to 6 to 12 years (synnerligen grov misshandel)
Misshandel (assault: inflicting bodily harm, illness or pain, or putting someone in a helpless state) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Fines or up to 6 months' prison where the offence is petty.
Grov misshandel (gross assault: life-threatening, serious bodily injury or illness, or particular ruthlessness or brutality) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 1 year 6 months
- Most
- 7 years
Synnerligen grov misshandel (exceptionally gross assault: lasting injury, extreme suffering or ruthlessness) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 6 years
- Most
- 12 years
Rape and sexual assault
3 to 6 years (våldtäkt) up to 5 to 12 years (grov våldtäkt)
Våldtäkt, less serious (mindre grov våldtäkt) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 6 months
- Most
- 4 years
Våldtäkt (rape: intercourse, or a comparable sexual act, with a person who does not participate voluntarily) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 6 years
Våldtäkt mot barn (rape of a child under 15) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 6 years
The article also covers some acts against children of 15 to 17 years in a relationship of dependence on the offender.
Grov våldtäkt (gross rape: violence or threats of an especially serious kind, more than one offender, or an especially young or vulnerable victim) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 12 years
Sweden defines rape by a lack of voluntary participation, not by force. A person can never be considered to participate voluntarily where the participation follows from assault, other violence or a threat of a criminal act, among other listed causes. Rape of a child under 15 is a separate offence.
Kidnapping
Up to 2 years (olaga frihetsberövande, less gross) up to 4 to 18 years or life (människorov)
Olaga frihetsberövande, less gross (unlawful deprivation of liberty, less gross) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Or fines.
Olaga frihetsberövande (unlawful deprivation of liberty: taking away or locking up a person) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 10 years
Människorov, less gross (abduction, less gross) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 6 years
Människorov (abduction: seizing and taking away or locking up a person to harm them, to force them to work, or to extort) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 4 years (a fixed term of 4 to 18 years)
- Most
- Life imprisonment (livstid)
Embezzlement
Up to 2 years (förskingring) up to 1 to 6 years (grov trolöshet mot huvudman)
Förskingring (embezzlement: appropriating property held for another, causing them loss and the offender gain) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Trolöshet mot huvudman (breach of trust against a principal) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Or fines.
Grov trolöshet mot huvudman (the gross form) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 6 years
Sweden has two offences. 'Förskingring' (embezzlement) is appropriating property that one holds for another. 'Trolöshet mot huvudman' (breach of trust against a principal) is abusing a position of trust in another's financial matters. 'Olovligt förfogande' covers some other misuse of property held on a restricted title.
Forgery
Up to 6 months (a petty case) up to 1 to 6 years (grov urkundsförfalskning)
Förvanskning av urkund (distorting a document, a petty case) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 6 months
Or fines.
Urkundsförfalskning (forgery of a document, where it creates a danger as proof) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Grov urkundsförfalskning (gross forgery: an important official archive document, or one of special importance in general commerce) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- 1 year
- Most
- 6 years
Drunk driving, first offence
Fines or up to 6 months (rattfylleri) up to 2 years (grovt rattfylleri)
Rattfylleri (drunk driving) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 6 months
Or fines.
Grovt rattfylleri (gross drunk driving) (Brott (fängelse))
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 2 years
Rattfylleri is driving with an alcohol concentration of 0.2 per mille or more in the blood (0.10 mg per litre of breath), or with a narcotic substance left in the blood. It is gross where the alcohol level is 1.0 per mille or more (0.50 mg per litre of breath), the driver was otherwise considerably affected, or the driving created a clear danger to traffic safety. A driving ban or loss of licence can also follow.
Compare with: France, Russia, Algeria, Morocco, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Japan, Turkey, England and Wales, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, India, China.
