Theft means taking someone else’s belongings or services without their approval or agreement and planning to keep them away from the true owner.
It is a criminal offense in most countries. Some perpetrators of the acts sometimes injure or even kill their victims.
Unfortunately, theft is more predominant in some countries than others. Below is a list of 20 countries with the highest cases of thefts per 100,000 people, according to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2018 data (or last available)
- 1. Uruguay – 4,228
- 2. Sweden – 3,352
- 3. Denmark – 3,178
- 4. New Zealand – 2,853
- 5. UK – 2,694
- 6. Australia – 2,332
- 7. France – 2,136
- 8. Finland – 1,954
- 9. Belgium – 1,900
- 10. Norway – 1,729
- 11. Italy – 1,651
- 12. Switzerland – 1,595
- 13. USA – 1,594
- 14. Scotland – 1,591
- 15. Canada – 1,420
- 16. Netherlands – 1,372
- 17. Ireland – 1,339
- 18. Germany – 1,302
- 19. Austria – 1,266
- 20. Brazil – 1,052