According to data from Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, various types of serious crime have increased since left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez entered office almost ten years ago and massively increased immigration.
Sexual Assault.
Since Sánchez became Prime Minister in June 2018, reported rapes in Spain have increased by 96 percent. Reported rapes have increased by 3.5 percent compared to last year, while all sexual assault offenses have increased by four percent over the same period. According to data from Spain’s Ministry of the Interior, police recorded 5,363 sexual assaults involving penetration in 2025, the legal category covering rape.
While Spain’s Interior Ministry has attributed some of the increase to victims being more willing to report attacks and a 2022 law change which abolished the distinction between sexual abuse and sexual assault, the general trend of rising sexual crime coincides with Sánchez and his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party increasing residence permits for migrants by over 800 percent from 2020 to 2025 and authorizing a mass amnesty for illegal immigrants earlier this year.
Killings.
Interior Ministry figures also show that completed homicides and murders have increased by 31 percent since Sánchez became Prime Minister. This includes a 7.7 percent year-on-year increase from 2024. Simultaneously, attempted killings surged by 78 percent between 2018 and 2025.
Spain recorded almost four attempted killings for every completed killing in 2025, compared with fewer than three in 2018. The rise of attempted killings may reflect developments in medical technology and treatments. Spain has experienced a rise in violent crime alongside sexual assault.
Other Crime.
The data from Spain’s Interior Ministry also shows that other forms of serious crime have increased under Prime Minister Sánchez. Specifically, kidnappings have increased by 17.5 percent compared to last year. Compared with 2024, drug trafficking offenses have increased by 5.5 percent, underscoring the extent to which crime has increased across categories, rather than being concentrated in only a few particularly serious offenses.
Opposition parties, such as the center-right People Party (PP) and populist Vox Party, are likely to press upon Sánchez’s record on crime as the country heads into a snap general election later this month. According to current polling, PP and Vox are projected to increase their vote and seat share, while Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party is predicted to suffer heavy losses.
