The number of reported rapes in Sevilla rose sharply during the first three months of 2026, according to official figures released by Spain’s Ministry of the Interior.

Between January and March, authorities recorded 19 sexual assaults involving penetration in the Andalucian capital.

This represents the highest first-quarter figure seen in the city over the past decade.

The total is more than three times higher than during the same period in 2025 and more than six times the number recorded in 2016.

Government officials attribute the increase partly to greater public awareness of sexual violence and improvements in police procedures that encourage victims to come forward.

Provisional data from the Interior Ministry shows that reported rape cases in Sevilla increased by 216% year-on-year.

Police investigated six such offences during the first quarter of 2025, compared with 19 during the opening months of 2026.

The latest figures surpass previous first-quarter records.

In 2022, only four rape cases were recorded between January and March, while 10 were reported in 2023. Before this year, the highest total had been registered in early 2024, when authorities recorded 11 offences of this kind.

The trend has also been observed across the wider Provincia de Sevilla, although the rise has been less dramatic than in the city itself.

A total of 35 rapes were reported across the province during the first quarter of 2026, compared with 24 during the same period last year, representing an increase of around 45%.

As in the capital, this is the highest first-quarter total recorded in the past decade.

Other sexual offences, excluding assaults involving penetration, also increased across the province.

Authorities registered 125 such crimes between January and March 2026, compared with 114 during the same period in 2025, an increase of 9.6%.

Based on the latest figures, a rape was reported approximately every two and a half days somewhere in the Sevilla province, and roughly every five days within the city itself.

Responding to the statistics, representatives of the Government Subdelegation in Sevilla said rising figures are often linked to increased social awareness and improved reporting rates.

Officials said public campaigns in recent years have focused on encouraging victims to report sexual offences and on raising awareness about what constitutes sexual violence.

They also highlighted improvements to police protocols, investigative procedures and specialist units dealing with these crimes.

While the figures show a significant increase in reported offences, authorities maintain that part of the rise may reflect greater confidence among victims in reporting incidents to law enforcement.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.