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

In recent years, gang violence has become widespread in some European countries - from frequent machine gun rampages in Brussels and teen hitmen murders in Sweden.

Euronews looks at major European cities where shootings are most common, but also identifies those cities free of gang violence and gun crime.

This is not a scientific comparison: in many countries, police don't report gun crimes specifically, and not all EU capitals publish stats. We've taken national statistics and media reports into account and weighed this against the variety of sizes of European cities. 

Most of the cities in our list are EU member states' capitals, but there's an exception: the situation in Marseille was so bad last year that we had to include it. Concentrating on EU capitals means that we also ignore several Balkan countries, where gun crime is widespread.

Danger Zone: Brussels, Stockholm, Marseille, Amsterdam

These capitals and cities have systemic violence related to drug gangs.

• Brussels, the gun crime capital of Europe, where everyone's at risk

When it comes to gun violence, Brussels is the most dangerous European capital this year. As drug-related gang violence escalated in Anderlecht and the Molenbeek neighbourhoods, shootings have become frequent in the Belgian capital.

Up to mid-August, the city recorded 57 shootings, 20 of them during the summer. Brussels' public prosecutor Julien Moinil said at a press conference that everyone is at risk in the city.

"Anyone, every Brussels resident and every citizen, can be hit by a stray bullet," he said, urging a coordinated crackdown on gangs.

Federal Interior Minister of Belgium Bernard Quintin is now backing the proposal of putting soldiers on patrol on the streets of Brussels to prevent crime.

They could also extend the network of security cameras in drug hotspots.

• Stockholm, a once peaceful capital, is now a gun hotspot

According to the Swedish authorities, the Stockholm capital area recorded 55 gunshots up till August 2025, resulting in nine deaths in the capital. Gun crime is on a sharp rise in Sweden, where drug gangs often hire teenage hitmen, use guns or homemade bombs.

While the number of incidents in Stockholm is slightly lower than in Brussels, overall, Sweden might have a bigger gun problem, as other cities, like Malmö or Gothenburg, also have rising crime rates. 

So far this year, the country has recorded 113 shooting incidents resulting in 33 deaths. The rise of organised crime, often involving those with migrant backgrounds, is in sharp contrast to the peaceful image that Sweden had in the past.

• Marseille, stronghold of the drug mafia

Last year, Marseille was one of the most violent cities in Europe when it came to gun crime. Overall, 24 people died in shootings related to the drug mafia. And this was already much better than the 49 deaths the previous year.

Expert Julien Sapori warned that the favourable data were not due to the good work of the police, but because the war between the Yoda clan and the DZ Mafia clan ended with the victory of the latter.

Here, the Ministry of Interior is trying to prevent street dealing in a "cleaning up" operation, as drug use is on the rise. This year, the French city has seen some relief. Though police data has not yet been released yet, searches through the local press identified two deadly gun incidents.

• Amsterdam: fewer shootings, more explosions

There is little official data on gun crime in the Dutch capital. But the local press reports that drug gangs frequently use explosives against their rivals. In 2023, 197 explosions were recorded, which is double that of the previous year. At the same time, the number of shooting incidents decreased, according to the police. Searching through press reports, we found seven serious shooting incidents in the Dutch capital, one fatal, though others saw serious injuries.

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

These cities witnessed numerous shootouts related to gangs, but with limited risk to the public.

• Paris is safer than Marseille or Brussels

Paris is relatively safe compared to Marseille when it comes to gun crime, but it saw an increase in murders last year, with the trend of rising violent crime. Searching through press reports, we found at least four deadly gun attacks in the capital, some of which were related to drug gangs. Authorities recorded a total of 34 homicides in 2024, which is a sharp rise. Paris saw extra police deployed in 2024 for the Olympic Games.

• Copenhagen introduced search zones

Last year, the police set up search zones in the Danish capital city after a deadly shooting related to gang violence. In these areas, police can stop people and search for weapons. In the last two years, several shootings have been reported, two of which were deadly. The epicenter of the gang violence is the Nørrebro district.

• Athens: could be dangerous

Police in the Greek capital do not publish specific data on shootings. But the local press reported several serious incidents this year and last. Last year, at least five people were shot dead, and around six different shootings were recorded. This year, at least two shootings have occurred so far.

• Lisbon has witnessed serious gun crimes lately

The Portuguese capital saw some serious gun crime last year, including an execution style triple murder. This year, a young person was shot several times in an incident resulting in heavy injuries. Police also shot dead a man during an attempted arrest.

• Rome: mafia-style executions

We identified 8 shootings in Rome, with at least five people dying as a result, in the last two years. Some of the incidents were mafia-style executions, and many were related to organised crime figures. But note, as with Paris, Rome is huge!

• Madrid, a few shootings

We could not find official data, but the local press reported eight shootings last year, with two casualties and multiple injuries. Some of these gun attacks were drug-related.

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

These cities witnessed only sporadic shootings.

• Nicosia: several gun incidents

Nicosia saw several gunfights and incidents last year and this year, with injuries. A police officer also killed a Pakistani migrant with a gun.

• Vienna: rising crime

The Austrian capital saw some serious shooting incidents in the last two years. In July 2024, a man fired shots during a clash between Syrian and Chechen migrant groups. No injuries were reported. Also, last year, two people were injured in a drug-related shootout. This year, four people were shot in an incident in Vienna.

• Riga: triple murder

Latvia saw one of the highest numbers of homicides in the EU based on its population, with 67 murder victims in 2024, and in eight of those cases, a firearm was used. In the capital, Riga, a triple gun murder took place last year.

• Sofia: a few shootings

The Bulgarian press reported five shooting incidents in the capital city of Sofia last year, one of which was deadly.

• Bucharest: road rage and street fights led to shootings

Last year, the local press reported around six shooting incidents, most of which were the result of street or road altercations.

• Prague: School shooting worsened stats

Prague is normally among the safest cities, but in December 2023, 14 people were killed in a shooting at Charles University. Besides this, Prague is calm, with only minor incidents reported.

• Ljubjana: mafia-style execution

A mafia-style execution of a Bosnian man rocked the Slovenian capital last October. Besides this, a few incidents were reported, but gun smuggling is on the rise.

• Zagreb: shooting linked to mafia

We identified two recent gun incidents in Zagreb, one of which ended in injury. The latter was linked to organised crime.

Low-risk cities: Berlin, Dublin, Helsinki

These cities are generally calm.

• Berlin: Relatively free of gun crime

Few shooting incidents have been reported from the German capital during 2025, with one serious incident resulting in injury.

• Dublin: Generally safe

The Irish capital is generally safe for the public in terms of gun violence, with one fatal incident and a few other gun offences reported in the last two years.

• Helsinki: School shooting skewed the stats

The Finnish capital is relatively peaceful when it comes to drug-related crime. Last year, there was a school shooting in Helsinki, with one dead and two injured. This year, a young man fired shots while fleeing the police.

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

These cities are generally safe for the public, with limited or no shootings recorded.

• Vilnius: No gang violence

Vilnius is safe from gang violence and organised crime. One gun crime was reported last year, in which a lawyer was killed.

• Budapest: A few shootings, generally safe

The Hungarian capital recorded multiple minor shootings last year, but most of them were street altercations with gas or rubber guns. No casualties were reported. The Hungarian capital is safe when it comes to drug-related gun crime.

• Warsaw: A few minor incidents

We identified a few incidents in Warsaw last year, where shots were fired. In most cases, the police were involved in the shootings. Warsaw is safe from drug-related gang violence.

• Bratislava: Safe for the public

Bratislava is very safe, with two shooting incidents reported in the last two years, unrelated to gang violence.

• Luxembourg City: Two incidents

The capital of Luxembourg remains safe. We identified two gun incidents, one related to drugs, where a minor injury was reported.

• Valletta: One incident

We identified one gun incident in Malta's capital city this year, without injury. But according to the police, gun use for homicide is on the rise on the island.

• Tallinn: No records

We couldn't identify a public record of gun crime or shootings lately. Estonia generally has a very low firearm-related homicide rate. As such, Tallinn appears to be the safest on our list!