Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and German Chancellor Angela MerkelReuters

A recent study on crime in the European Union suggests a correlation between countries with lower levels of migration and smaller numbers of asylum seekers with lower levels of crime.

In Slovakia, only 6.2 percent of citizens reported crime, violence, or vandalism in 2017, according to data from the Eurostat statistics office survey.

They survey measured the percentage of residents in each of the EU-member states who reported crime, violence, or vandalism last year.

According to the study, the EU countries with the lowest levels of reported crime are: Croatia, with only 3% of Croatians reporting crime, violence, or vandalism in 2017; Poland, with only 5.4%; and Slovakia, with 6.2%.

Slovakia has accepted few migrants or asylum seekers during the European migrant crisis.

The figures are published on an EU statistics site with graphs inviting citizens to "Visualise your country’s situation," asking "Do you know how many people in your country have confidence in the EU Parliament? Or the share of people in your country who have reported crime, violence or vandalism in their area?"

The EU average sits at 11.6%, with Bulgaria at the bottom of the list with 23.6% of Bulgarians reporting crime, violence, or vandalism. The high figure has dropped over the past three years since peaking at a record 28.6% in 2009. The next highest crime rates are reported in the Netherlands (15%) and Germany (14.2%).

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