Why Spain Is “Safe As Houses”

One of the first questions you might ask, whether buying a property at home or in Spain, is "Is the area safe?". In the challenging economic conditions of the last decade, which have hit southern Europe harder than most, it is easy to imagine that, given the significant increases in unemployment and poverty, crime figures would be higher than in other places. But, in fact, in Spain, it is exactly the opposite.
In a survey conducted by the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (affiliated with the United Nations) in 2014, Spain's crime figures were shown, across almost every area, to be lower than those of, for example, the U.K.

In police statistics, from 2007-2011 per 100.000 population, there were on average 2.000 offences in Spain, compared to about 8.000 in England and Wales, and over 11.000 in Scotland.

In terms of the most common offences, Spain is very much the winner. There was a 7% drop in rapes per 100.000 population in Spain, compared to increases of 22%, 18% and 30% in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

For every 900 robberies per 100.000 population in Spain in 2011, there were 3.603 in England and Wales, 2.727 in Scotland and 1.992 in Northern Ireland. And, whereas over the same four-year period, there was not enough data to record the number of burglaries in Spain, per 100.000 population, England and Wales had 990. 

Finally, assault figures suggest that sunshine reduces anger by a factor of over 40: for an average of 35 offences in sunny Spain over four years, there were 1.487 in chillier Scotland.

However, Spain, like everywhere else, is not perfect. France, the Netherlands, Norway and the U.K. have such negligible corruption, that there is not enough data to record. Spain, though, has an average of two offences per 100.000 population. It has dropped by 49% over four years, but there is a little way to go yet to match its northern neighbours.

Author: Louise Tucker