The number of politically motivated crimes in Germany significantly increased in 2025, following previous years which had already set new highs. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) announced in Berlin on Tuesday that security authorities recorded a total of 85,837 cases, representing a two percent increase compared to the previous year. Similarly, politically motivated acts of violence rose by approximately 1.2 percent to reach 4,156 offenses.
Dobrindt noted that while the left-wing scene accounted for a concerning 42 percent increase in acts of violence, the vast majority of offenses were committed by right-wing and far-right perpetrators, suggesting that the greatest current danger emanates from far-right extremism. He stated that the government is combatting all forms of extremism and continues to expand its instruments against extremist threats.
The overall rise in crimes is primarily attributed to a massive surge in registered crimes in the PMK-left segment, which grew by over 35 percent to 13,490 offenses (up from 9,971 in 2024). Violent crimes specifically surged by over 42 percent to 1,087 offenses (up from 762 in 2024). Despite slight declines, the PMK-right segment remains the dominant area, recording 42,544 crimes-roughly half of all registered offenses-bringing the total to far exceed last year’s count of 42,788. Violent crimes within the PMK-right sphere increased by more than seven percent.
Crime related to hate offenses remained high, totaling 22,159 cases in 2025 (up from 21,773 in 2024). Hate crimes are defined as offenses motivated by group-based prejudices, with nearly a third of these offenses committed online. The persistently high number of xenophobic crimes is responsible for the high figures in this category (19,484 cases in 2025, versus 19,481 in 2024).
The overwhelming majority of offenses under the “Xenophobic” sub-topic (73.7 percent) were attributed to the PMK-right segment. Antisemitic crimes rose by 5.0 percent in 2025, reaching 6,548 cases, with 47.2 percent of these linked to the Middle East conflict. There was also a notable increase in crimes against women: offenses directed at women or the female gender rose by 46.8 percent to 819, setting a new peak (up from 558 in 2024). Furthermore, queerphobia continued to rise, with a 12.8 percent increase to 2,377 cases, maintaining the long-term trend of continuous hate crime against LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Crimes against officials and/or elected representatives remain high at 5,797 cases, despite a slight decrease from 6,059 in 2024. Monitoring conducted by the BKA in collaboration with municipal associations confirms that animosity towards officials is not a fringe issue, and an extremely high dark figure of crime is expected.
Crimes against the police also rose by 4.7 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 5,144 cases in 2025. Approximately a third of these offenses can be attributed to PMK-left. This segment also saw a significant increase in violent incidents, which rose by around 45 percent to 535 cases.
