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European homes and businesses appear to be getting safer.
The number of break-ins across the EU has dropped by more than a third in just a decade (35%), falling to 1.2 million from to 2014 to 2024, according to new Eurostat data.
These figures cover both residential and business premises, yet despite the good news, Europe continues to be a battleground between intruders and private citizens and business owners, with many countries having a significant rate of burglaries relative to their populations.
Austria faces a huge wave of burglaries, with the highest rate in the EU: 700 per 100,000 people reported in 2024, with Sweden (601) and Luxembourg next (568).
Which countries enjoy the lowest burglary rate?
Intruders are far less prolific in Lithuania. The country reports a 24/100,000 people burglary rate, followed at the bottom of the table by Bulgaria (46) and Slovakia, the only EU countries below 100.
Lithuania has also seen the steepest decline in break-ins compared to 2014, down by an impressive 79%, followed by Bulgaria with a 78% decline, and Greece, with burglaries down 71% from its peak in 2015.
The picture is less optimistic in Spain. The country saw the smallest fall in burglaries, only down 21% since 2014, according to a Europe in Motion calculation.
France is only slightly better, with a 23% decrease. It’s also the country most affected by burglaries in general, with more than 300,000, closely followed by Germany, and far below by Spain, which experienced 143,000 burglaries yearly.
How are Europeans taking matters into their own hands?
European citizens are better equipping themselves against burglary threats, particularly through the purchase of security alarms.
Between 2015 and 2025, EU production of security alarms grew from 30.1 million items in 2015 to 68.3 million items in 2025, according to EU Trade Explorer.
Ireland is one of the most remarkable examples.
The country’s Central Statistics Office reported that the use of domestic security technology — such as alarms, CCTV, video intercoms and securised frames and fixtures grew from 17% in 2022 to 30% in 2024.
In general, across the EU, the UK, Switzerland and Norway, around 20 million alarm systems for private properties and small businesses are installed, according to consultancy firm Berg Insight, with a global penetration of 8%.
However, that’s much smaller in comparison with the North American market (US+Canada), where the reported concentration of alarm systems is three times higher (24%).
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