Crime rates across Western Europe have fallen dramatically since the 1990s

Despite public perception, Western Europe is significantly safer today than it was in the late 1980s and 1990s, with crime rates falling steadily across the region.

Murder rates — considered the most reliable crime metric — have plunged dramatically since 2000. In countries like France, Germany, Italy and Spain, murders have fallen by 30% to more than 50% since the late 1990s.

Italy's annual murder count has dropped from 1,917 in 1991 to just 327 in 2024, giving it one of the lowest rates in the EU. France's murder rate has similarly fallen from roughly 2.3 per 100,000 people in 1995 to about 1.4 per 100,000 today.

While recent spikes in some violent crimes linked to drug trafficking have grabbed headlines in certain countries, the long-term trend shows Western Europe is much safer overall than a generation ago.