Sexual crimes up by 12.5% in first three months of the year

Sexual crimes in Catalonia are up 12.5% in the first three months of the year, making them the fastest growing type of crime in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period the previous year. 

The total number of reported sexual crimes has increased from 902 to 1,015. Specifically, sexual assaults with penetration, rose by nearly 27%, increasing from 332 to 421.

However, according to figures from the interior ministry, crime overall has has fallen by 6%, dropping in total from 126,843 to 119,169.

The largest category, conventional crime, has decreased by 4.1%, reducing from 105,404 to 101,085 total incidents.

Meanwhile, cybercrime has decreased even more, by 15%, going from 20,760 to 16,768 reported cases. Online scams have decreased by 19%.

Homicides and murders have fallen from 18 to 15, but attempts have risen from 53 to 59. Injuries are down by 5%, reducing from 894 to 848.

Robberies with violence or intimidation fell by almost 10%, while robberies with forced entry into homes or establishments fell by 15.5%.

Thefts remained stable as the most common crime, with 39,540 - drop of 0.1% compared to last year. On the other hand, vehicle thefts grew by 6.2%, with 2,005.

Drug trafficking was up by 6.4% with more than 1,270 known incidents.

Municipalities

Among municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, El Prat de Llobregat once again tops the ranking with 45.1 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants in the first quarter of the year.

a figure that doubles the second city.

The city council previously explained to the Catalan News Agency that such data "are distorted by the airport effect." Incidents in the town are not distinguished from the travel infrastructure or the Splau shopping centre.

This is still the case despite the fact that a year ago the council urging the Interior Ministry to segregate data related to the airport for these crime reports.

Second on the list is Barcelona, with 24.5 crimes per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Sant Adrià de Besòs (22.8), Roses (21.2), Salt (20.7), and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (20.6).

The average for all of Catalonia is 14.7.

The towns with the lowest rates are Castellar del Vallès (4.3), Manlleu (4.2), and Olesa de Montserrat (3.5).