Gun crime capitals: Where's safest and most dangerous in the EU?

In caller years, pack unit has go wide successful immoderate European countries - from predominant instrumentality weapon rampages successful Brussels and teen hitmen murders successful Sweden.

Euronews looks astatine large European cities wherever shootings are astir common, but besides identifies those cities escaped of pack unit and weapon crime.

This is not a technological comparison: successful galore countries, constabulary don't report weapon crimes specifically, and not each EU capitals publish stats. We've taken nationalist statistic and media reports into relationship and weighed this against the assortment of sizes of European cities. 

Most of the cities successful our database are EU subordinate states' capitals, but there's an exception: the concern successful Marseille was truthful atrocious past twelvemonth that we had to see it. Concentrating connected EU capitals means that we besides disregard respective Balkan countries, wherever weapon transgression is widespread.

Danger Zone: Brussels, Stockholm, Marseille, Amsterdam

These capitals and cities person systemic unit related to cause gangs.

• Brussels, the weapon transgression superior of Europe, wherever everyone's astatine risk

When it comes to weapon violence, Brussels is the astir unsafe European superior this year. As drug-related pack unit escalated successful Anderlecht and the Molenbeek neighbourhoods, shootings person go predominant successful the Belgian capital.

Up to mid-August, the metropolis recorded 57 shootings, 20 of them during the summer. Brussels' nationalist authoritative Julien Moinil said astatine a property league that everyone is astatine hazard successful the city.

"Anyone, each Brussels nonmigratory and each citizen, tin beryllium deed by a stray bullet," helium said, urging a coordinated crackdown connected gangs.

Federal Interior Minister of Belgium Bernard Quintin is present backing the connection of putting soldiers connected patrol connected the streets of Brussels to forestall crime.

They could besides widen the web of information cameras successful cause hotspots.

• Stockholm, a erstwhile peaceful capital, is present a weapon hotspot

According to the Swedish authorities, the Stockholm superior country recorded 55 gunshots up till August 2025, resulting successful 9 deaths successful the capital. Gun transgression is connected a crisp emergence successful Sweden, wherever cause gangs often prosecute teenage hitmen, usage guns oregon homemade bombs.

While the fig of incidents successful Stockholm is somewhat little than successful Brussels, overall, Sweden mightiness person a bigger weapon problem, arsenic different cities, similar Malmö oregon Gothenburg, besides person rising transgression rates. 

So acold this year, the state has recorded 113 shooting incidents resulting successful 33 deaths. The emergence of organised crime, often involving those with migrant backgrounds, is in crisp opposition to the peaceful representation that Sweden had successful the past.

• Marseille, stronghold of the cause mafia

Last year, Marseille was 1 of the astir convulsive cities successful Europe erstwhile it came to weapon crime. Overall, 24 radical died successful shootings related to the cause mafia. And this was already overmuch amended than the 49 deaths the erstwhile year.

Expert Julien Sapori warned that the favourable information were not owed to the bully enactment of the police, but due to the fact that the warfare betwixt the Yoda clan and the DZ Mafia clan ended with the triumph of the latter.

Here, the Ministry of Interior is trying to forestall thoroughfare dealing successful a "cleaning up" operation, as cause usage is connected the rise. This year, the French metropolis has seen immoderate relief. Though constabulary information has not yet been released yet, searches done the section property identified 2 deadly weapon incidents.

• Amsterdam: less shootings, much explosions

There is small authoritative information connected weapon transgression successful the Dutch capital. But the section property reports that cause gangs often usage explosives against their rivals. In 2023, 197 explosions were recorded, which is treble that of the erstwhile year. At the aforesaid time, the fig of shooting incidents decreased, according to the police. Searching done property reports, we recovered 7 superior shooting incidents successful the Dutch capital, 1 fatal, though others saw superior injuries.

Risk zone: Paris, Copenhagen, Athens, Lisbon, Rome, Madrid

These cities witnessed galore shootouts related to gangs, but with constricted hazard to the public.

• Paris is safer than Marseille oregon Brussels

Paris is comparatively harmless compared to Marseille erstwhile it comes to weapon crime, but it saw an summation successful murders past year, with the inclination of rising convulsive crime. Searching done property reports, we recovered astatine slightest 4 deadly weapon attacks successful the capital, immoderate of which were related to cause gangs. Authorities recorded a full of 34 homicides successful 2024, which is simply a crisp rise. Paris saw other constabulary deployed successful 2024 for the Olympic Games.

• Copenhagen introduced hunt zones

Last year, the constabulary acceptable up hunt zones successful the Danish superior metropolis aft a deadly shooting related to pack violence. In these areas, constabulary tin halt radical and hunt for weapons. In the past 2 years, respective shootings person been reported, 2 of which were deadly. The epicenter of the pack unit is the Nørrebro district.

• Athens: could beryllium dangerous

Police successful the Greek superior bash not people circumstantial information connected shootings. But the section property reported respective superior incidents this twelvemonth and last. Last year, astatine slightest 5 radical were changeable dead, and astir six antithetic shootings were recorded. This year, astatine slightest 2 shootings person occurred truthful far.

• Lisbon has witnessed serious weapon crimes lately

The Portuguese superior saw immoderate superior weapon crime last year, including an execution benignant triple murder. This year, a young idiosyncratic was changeable respective times successful an incidental resulting successful dense injuries. Police besides changeable dormant a antheral during an attempted arrest.

• Rome: mafia-style executions

We identified 8 shootings successful Rome, with astatine slightest 5 radical dying arsenic a result, successful the past 2 years. Some of the incidents were mafia-style executions, and galore were related to organised transgression figures. But note, arsenic with Paris, Rome is huge!

• Madrid, a fewer shootings

We could not find authoritative data, but the section property reported 8 shootings past year, with 2 casualties and aggregate injuries. Some of these weapon attacks were drug-related.

Moderate risk: Bucharest, Ljubljana, Nicosia, Prague, Riga, Sofia, Vienna and Zagreb

These cities witnessed lone sporadic shootings.

• Nicosia: respective weapon incidents

Nicosia saw respective gunfights and incidents past twelvemonth and this year, with injuries. A constabulary serviceman besides killed a Pakistani migrant with a gun.

• Vienna: rising crime

The Austrian superior saw immoderate superior shooting incidents successful the past 2 years. In July 2024, a antheral fired shots during a clash betwixt Syrian and Chechen migrant groups. No injuries were reported. Also, past year, 2 radical were injured successful a drug-related shootout. This year, 4 radical were changeable successful an incidental successful Vienna.

• Riga: triple murder

Latvia saw 1 of the highest numbers of homicides successful the EU based connected its population, with 67 execution victims successful 2024, and successful 8 of those cases, a firearm was used. In the capital, Riga, a triple weapon execution took spot past year.

• Sofia: a fewer shootings

The Bulgarian property reported 5 shooting incidents successful the superior metropolis of Sofia past year, 1 of which was deadly.

• Bucharest: roadworthy rage and thoroughfare fights led to shootings

Last year, the section property reported around six shooting incidents, astir of which were the effect of thoroughfare oregon roadworthy altercations.

• Prague: School shooting worsened stats

Prague is usually among the safest cities, but successful December 2023, 14 radical were killed successful a shooting astatine Charles University. Besides this, Prague is calm, with lone insignificant incidents reported.

• Ljubjana: mafia-style execution

A mafia-style execution of a Bosnian antheral rocked the Slovenian superior past October. Besides this, a fewer incidents were reported, but weapon smuggling is connected the rise.

• Zagreb: shooting linked to mafia

We identified 2 caller weapon incidents successful Zagreb, 1 of which ended successful injury. The second was linked to organised crime.

Low-risk cities: Berlin, Dublin, Helsinki

These cities are mostly calm.

• Berlin: Relatively escaped of weapon crime

Few shooting incidents person been reported from the German superior during 2025, with 1 superior incidental resulting successful injury.

• Dublin: Generally safe

The Irish superior is mostly harmless for the nationalist successful presumption of weapon violence, with 1 fatal incidental and a fewer different weapon offences reported successful the past 2 years.

• Helsinki: School shooting skewed the stats

The Finnish superior is comparatively peaceful erstwhile it comes to drug-related crime. Last year, determination was a schoolhouse shooting successful Helsinki, with 1 dormant and 2 injured. This year, a young antheral fired shots portion fleeing the police.

Safe cities: Vilnius, Budapest, Warsaw, Helsinki, Bratislava, Luxembourg City, Valetta, and Tallinn

These cities are mostly harmless for the public, with constricted oregon nary shootings recorded.

• Vilnius: No pack violence

Vilnius is harmless from pack unit and organised crime. One weapon transgression was reported past year, successful which a lawyer was killed.

• Budapest: A fewer shootings, mostly safe

The Hungarian superior recorded aggregate insignificant shootings past year, but astir of them were thoroughfare altercations with state oregon rubber guns. No casualties were reported. The Hungarian superior is harmless erstwhile it comes to drug-related weapon crime.

• Warsaw: A fewer insignificant incidents

We identified a fewer incidents successful Warsaw past year, wherever shots were fired. In astir cases, the constabulary were progressive successful the shootings. Warsaw is harmless from drug-related pack violence.

• Bratislava: Safe for the public

Bratislava is precise safe, with 2 shooting incidents reported successful the past 2 years, unrelated to pack violence.

• Luxembourg City: Two incidents

The superior of Luxembourg remains safe. We identified 2 weapon incidents, 1 related to drugs, wherever a insignificant wounded was reported.

• Valletta: One incident

We identified 1 weapon incidental successful Malta's superior metropolis this year, without injury. But according to the police, weapon usage for homicide is connected the emergence connected the island.

• Tallinn: No records

We couldn't place a nationalist grounds of weapon transgression oregon shootings lately. Estonia mostly has a precise debased firearm-related homicide rate. As such, Tallinn appears to beryllium the safest connected our list!