Croatia Safest EU Country, Greece at the Very Bottom

(Patria) - Eurostat published statistics on reported crime, violence, and vandalism for 2023, according to which as many as one-tenth of the EU population were victims of crime.

At the top of the list of the safest European countries is Croatia, while Greece is at the very bottom.

The official statistics center of the EU describes the new statistics on the occurrence of crime, violence, or vandalism in the local area as one of the indicators for monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, as well as the Development Goal on Sustainable Cities and Communities.

In addition to the overall percentage of reported crimes, Eurostat also provides two groups of the population depending on their income.

According to statisticians, a person is considered at risk of poverty if their disposable income, adjusted for household size, is less than 60% of the median disposable income of all citizens after social benefits and other government support are taken into account.

In other words, if someone earns significantly less than the societal average, they can be considered economically vulnerable.

In 2023, 10% of people in the EU reported experiencing crime, violence or vandalism in their neighbourhood⚠️🚓

Highest shares in:
🇬🇷Greece (20.9%)
🇳🇱Netherlands (16.7%)

Lowest in:
🇭🇷Croatia (1.4%)
🇱🇹Lithuania (2.7%)

👉https://t.co/YyEXNBYeju#VictimsOfCrimeDay pic.twitter.com/mWfu31BTf0

— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) February 22, 2025

According to official statistics, only 1.2 percent of Croatians living at risk of poverty witnessed a crime.

The percentage of Croatians in a better economic situation than their fellow citizens who witnessed a crime is slightly higher - 1.5 percent. Thus, a low 1.4 percent of Croatia's population witnessed a crime in 2023.

Poland and Lithuania are also at the top of the safest countries, while Greece, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria lead the list of the least safe EU member states.

And while one in a hundred Croatians witnessed a crime in Croatia, in the least safe countries, every fifth resident witnessed a crime.