According to a memorandum from the Danish Ministry of Justice obtained by the newspaper B.T., 30 percent of individuals convicted of rape in Denmark in 2025 were immigrants or descendants of immigrants from non-Western countries. The demographic group accounts for 11 percent of the total Danish population, highlighting a significant statistical overrepresentation in serious crime categories.
Ministry Data Details Conviction Rates for Rape and Homicide
The Justice Ministry report, titled “Report over dømte innvandrere og etterkommere”, maps court rulings for rape, aggravated assault, murder, and attempted murder committed between 1983 and 2026. Out of 124 total individuals convicted of rape in Denmark in 2025, 22 were immigrants from non-Western countries, and 15 were descendants of immigrants from those regions, according to the document. To be classified as a descendant in the data, an individual cannot have any parents holding Danish citizenship.
The figures extend beyond sexual offenses. According to the ministry memorandum, 44 percent of individuals convicted of murder or attempted murder in 2025 came from non-Western backgrounds. Furthermore, 30 percent of those penalized for aggravated assault during the same year belonged to the same demographic group.
Experts Point to Cultural Differences and Gang Recruitment
Lars Højgaard Andersen, a crime professor at the Rockwool Foundation, told B.T. that the overrepresentation stems from a combination of cultural dynamics and socioeconomics. Andersen pointed to traditional views on gender roles as a contributing factor in certain communities. “In these environments, there can be a more traditional conception of gender, and thus also of how the relationship should be between man and woman,” Andersen said.
Did you know? In the Danish Justice Ministry’s definition, non-Western countries are all countries that are not in the EU plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Great Britain, Vatican City, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Andersen also linked the elevated homicide and assault statistics to gang involvement. He noted that criminal gangs frequently recruit from lower socioeconomic strata, a category that includes a high concentration of non-Western immigrants. Because violence and homicide occur frequently within organized criminal networks, the resulting statistics show a disproportionate number of perpetrators from these backgrounds, according to Andersen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of rape convicts in Denmark are non-Western immigrants?
According to a Ministry of Justice report cited by B.T., 30 percent of individuals convicted of rape in Denmark in 2025 were non-Western immigrants or descendants of non-Western immigrants.
How does the Danish Justice Ministry define non-Western countries?
The definition includes all countries that are not in the EU plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Great Britain, Vatican City, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
What other crimes are covered in the Justice Ministry report?
The memorandum maps court judgments for rape, aggravated assault, murder, and attempted murder spanning the years 1983 through 2026.
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