Sexual offence reports reach highest first-half level since 2021
Monday 5th October 2026 on 14:01 in
Iceland
Police received 346 reports of sexual offences nationwide in the first six months of 2026, the highest first-half total since 2021, mbl.is reported, citing a new report from the National Commissioner of Police.
The total was 27 percent higher than the average for the same period in the previous three years and 21 percent above the figure for the first half of 2025. It represents almost two reports a day, or about 58 a month. There were around nine reports per 10,000 residents, a rate similar to 2022 but lower than in 2019 and 2021. May had the most reports, with 77.
Police received 103 reports of rape, almost unchanged from 104 in the first half of 2025. The figure was about 14 percent above the average for the same period in the previous three years. The rate was 2.6 reports per 10,000 residents, compared with 2.7 in 2025.
Reports of sexual harassment and digital sexual offences rose to 93 from 58 in the first half of 2025, an increase of 60 percent. That was 45 percent above the three-year average and the highest first-half total in the period covered by the report. There were 16 reports of indecent exposure, down from 31 in 2022, with the number falling each year since then.
Reports of sexual offences against children rose to 72 from 62 a year earlier, an increase of 16 percent. The total was 19 percent above the average for the previous three years.
Reports relating to prostitution increased to 33 from 21 in the first half of 2025, a rise of 57 percent. The average for 2023 to 2025 was 14. Such reports have increased in each first half since 2022, when four were recorded.
Women accounted for 85 percent of victims across all reported sexual offences and 93 percent of victims in rape cases. Men made up 92 percent of suspects. Victims were 23 years old on average, compared with 34 for suspects. About 49 percent of victims were under 18, as were 10 percent of suspects. Among victims in rape cases, 38 percent were under 18, up from 33 percent in the same period last year.