Where crime rates in Spain are rising, and where they are dropping

Criminality in Spain has increased slightly over the last 12 months, in general, but the latest figures show that the percentage of crimes in 2024 was not uniform in all of the country.

According to the latest numbers just published by the Ministry of the Interior, the autonomous communities with the most notable increases in crime were Aragón, the Canaries, and the Balearics, while others, such as La Rioja, the Community of Madrid, and the autonomous city of Melilla, saw a drop in criminal activity.

Most other autonomous regions saw a more or less generalised increase in line with the national average of 1.2 per cent. 

Rising crime rate in big cities more cause for concern

The crime rate in the biggest cities shows more cause for concern, especially in Malaga city, where during the last year there was a 10.9 per cent increase in conventional criminality (murder, theft, drug trafficking, sexual violence, fraud, and cybercrimes), followed by Zaragoza at 7.8 per cent.

Naturally, Madrid and Barcelona are where usually more crimes are reported (Madrid: 178,131; Barcelona: 133,885). However, 2024 saw decreases in both their crime rates, with Madrid’s rate dropping by 2.2 per cent and Barcelona’s by 3.5 per cent compared with the previous year. Both Sevilla and Valencia saw slight drops too.

Sexual violence rose 6.6 per cent across the country, while the murder rate fell slightly. Drug trafficking was up 3.2 per cent, and other violent crimes rose considerably, up by 8.4 per cent, according to government data.

44.2 per cent of all crimes reported in Spain in 2024 were related to property, including burglary, theft (pickpocketing, shoplifting, etc.), and vehicle theft.