Brussels is first and Barcelona is second in Europe for the number of robberies (map)
According to the latest Eurostat report on street crime, there are 326 robberies per 100,000 inhabitants in the Catalan capital, putting Brussels first in terms of the number of robberies.
Having something stolen from you is bad enough. But having something stolen from you with violence is a very unpleasant and sometimes traumatic experience.
Robbery is defined by Eurostat as a means of stealing from someone using physical force, a weapon or the threat of using it. Robbery leaders: Belgium, Sweden, Spain, England, Portugal have the highest robbery rates in Europe. Spain is widely represented in the top 10 most disadvantaged cities: Barcelona, Melilla, Ceuta and Madrid.
The lowest level of robberies is observed mainly in Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia, as well as Iceland and Norway. And the least robberies are in Albania.
Please note that Eurostat data is based on police reports from each country. The number of unreported robberies may vary from country to country. This may mean that the actual robbery rate in some areas may be higher.
Robbery is defined by Eurostat as a means of stealing from someone using physical force, a weapon or a threat, such as a hold-up or robbery (e.g. of a bank, shop or van). Robbery is distinguished from theft (without the use of force) and assault (without theft).