For the first time since 2021, the rate of violent crime in Germany shows a slight decline in 2025, decreasing by 2.3 percent, according to the 2025 Police Crime Statistics presented in Berlin.
The number of suspects also went down by 2.6 percent, especially young suspects, which fell by 7.4 percent, and migrant suspects, which dropped by 7.2 percent. Conversely, the number of juvenile suspects increased again by 3.3 percent. However, non-German suspects remain significantly overrepresented in cases of violent crime at 42.9 percent.
Overall, the police recorded approximately 5.5 million criminal offenses across Germany in 2025, marking a 5.6 percent reduction compared to the previous year. The total number of suspects also decreased by 5.9 percent, reaching around 2.05 million. The statistics reflect the partial legalization of cannabis from 2024; even when cases related to cannabis are excluded, there is still a decrease of 4.7 percent.
In total, about 3.2 million cases were solved, resulting in a clearance rate of 57.9 percent, which is nearly the same level as in previous years (58.0 percent in 2024).
Findings from the “Safety and Crime in Germany 2024” victim survey, released by the BKA, indicate that young people are disproportionately affected by violent crimes, and this trend is increasing. In the current survey, 8.5 percent of youths aged 16 and 17 were victims of bodily harm, a rise of 5.4 percentage points compared to the 2020 survey, more than doubling the rate (3.1 percent in 2020).
The number of sexual offenses recorded in the PKS for 2025 remains high, with a notable increase of 9.0 percent in rape cases. Since 2018, the figure for this crime has risen by about 72 percent. The suspects are predominantly friends or acquaintances, former or current partners, and are male in 98.6 percent of cases. Non-German suspects accounted for 38.5 percent, a figure consistent with the previous year. The proportion of non-German victims of rape was 22.3 percent.
The SKiD results show that women are significantly more affected by sexual offenses than men, with young adults aged 18 to 24 being particularly vulnerable. The survey also points to a large “dark figure”-the gap between actual crime and reported crime-particularly regarding sexual offenses. The reporting rate for sexual abuse and rape in 2023 was only 6.2 percent, and for physical sexual harassment, it was 2.6 percent.
While crimes related to child pornography content decreased by 2.7 percent (to 41,677 cases) according to the PKS, they remain high. Conversely, crimes involving juvenile pornography content rose by 19.9 percent (reaching 11,515 cases). When juvenile offenders distribute pornographic content, these are often self-made videos. Alongside increasing distribution via social media channels, a greater willingness to report crimes due to increased media attention and societal awareness may also contribute to this rise.
The overall number of knife attacks is roughly stable compared to the previous year, increasing by only 0.8 percent to 29,243 cases. However, threats involving knives rose by 9.5 percent (to 13,748 cases). Crimes involving firearms, such as robbery or severe bodily harm, reached a peak since 2016, increasing by 9.7 percent to 3,166 cases-with 1,371 cases involving actual shootings, marking a 13.4 percent increase and a peak since 2009.
The decline in drug-related crimes overall (-27.7 percent), attributed to the partial legalization of cannabis, should not be taken as indicative of the true situation. In addition to drug offenses involving cocaine (including crack, 39,414 cases, +1.9 percent), crimes involving novel psychoactive substances increased by 25.5 percent to 5,338 cases (2024: 4,255), and methamphetamine-related crimes rose by 3.0 percent to 11,398 cases (2024: 11,070). Thus, drug-related crime remains a critical issue in Germany.
While crimes reported domestically are falling for fraud (-8.4 percent) and cybercrime (-4.1 percent), crimes committed from abroad are rising significantly (Fraud: +7.0 percent; Cybercrime: +3.0 percent). In the area of fraud, the number of domestic and foreign incidents, as well as the total damage amount, are becoming increasingly similar (PKS Foreign: 2.3 billion euros, +65.1 percent; PKS Domestic: 2.7 billion euros, -6.7 percent). In cybercrime, the number of foreign incidents already exceeds those originating domestically.
Data from the SKiD “dark figure” study indicated that one in five people was already a victim of cybercrime related incidents. Data misuse and online goods/service fraud are the most frequent offenses, showing a significant increase compared to the 2020 survey. With growing victimization, more than half of people are now concerned about becoming victims of online fraud.
Regarding public safety, the SKiD results show a generally high sense of security within the population. In relation to one’s own residence, the feeling of safety at night has slightly increased since 2020 (+2.0 percentage points, reaching 74.0 percent). However, approximately 45 percent of people feel particularly unsafe at night in public transport. A lower sense of security was reported at train stations (27.0 percent), public streets, paths, and squares (40.1 percent), and parks (22.8 percent).
