The age of criminal responsibility in Sweden is being lowered from 15 to 14 years under the new law, but it only applies to crimes with a minimum sentence of four years in prison. These include murder, aggravated rape, kidnapping and aggravated weapons offences.
14-year-olds who commit crimes with lower penalties, such as rape of the normal degree, cannot still be convicted of a crime.
Can affect many
If the number of children committing serious crimes continues at the same levels as in recent years, a large number of 14-year-olds could be prosecuted in the future. Last year, prosecutors filed evidentiary charges, in which a court pronounces on guilt without handing down a sentence, against 64 children under the age of 15 on suspicion of involvement in murder.
The government initially wanted to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years, but changed it to 14 years in June when the first proposal lacked support in the Riksdag. The law was voted through by the Tidö parties and the Social Democrats in the extraordinary Riksdag in August.
The Left Party, the Green Party and the Center Party voted no.
Far-reaching
The lowered age of criminal responsibility has been widely discussed by consultation bodies. The Law Council said no to the proposal that applied to 13-year-olds, and a large majority of the consultation bodies also said no to lowering it to 14 years.
The Legislative Council wrote, among other things, in its opinion that it cannot be assumed to lead to a reduction in youth crime or have any significant effect on social protection.
"The Police Authority and the Prosecution Authority, as well as several other consultation bodies, have stated that the proposal risks causing serious youth crime to be pushed down even further in age and committed by even younger children," the Law Council wrote.
The government believes that the amendment is necessary to strengthen protection for society and provide redress to victims of crime. It also means that children will have better opportunities to break a criminal path, according to the government.
Serious crime among children under 15 has increased sharply in recent years.
According to statistics from the Swedish Prosecution Authority, 173 people under the age of 15 were suspected of involvement in murder or planning murder in 2025. The corresponding figure for 2019 was 12 people.
Of the 88 children against whom a so-called evidentiary case was brought in 2025, to establish guilt in court but without imposing a sentence, 64 concerned suspicions of involvement in murder.
Source: Swedish Prosecution Authority
