Germany’s public prosecutor’s offices are facing a record backlog of unresolved criminal cases, according to newly released data from the Federal Statistical Office. The number of open proceedings has reached 950,900 by the end of 2024, marking the highest level since record-keeping began in 2014. This represents a 34.0% increase from the 709,400 cases pending at the end of 2020.
In 2024, approximately 5.49 million new investigations were initiated, a slight decrease of 1.4% compared to the previous year. While the number of cases closed also slightly decreased, reaching 5.46 million (down 0.7% year-on-year), the inflow consistently exceeded the outflow, contributing to the growing backlog.
The majority of investigations handled by prosecutor’s offices-approximately 83%-originate from police departments. The remaining cases are initiated by the prosecutor’s offices themselves, tax and customs investigation authorities, or administrative bodies.
Despite the substantial caseload, a significant portion of investigations-around 60%-were discontinued in 2024, often due to insufficient evidence or the minor nature of the alleged offense. Approximately 7% of cases resulted in formal charges and court proceedings, while around 10% led to requests for a fines notice, a legally binding penalty issued by the court without a full trial. The remaining 24% were handled through various alternative resolutions, including transfer to other jurisdictions or reclassification as administrative offenses.
The data reflects procedural focuses within criminal investigations; property and asset crimes accounted for roughly 28% of closed cases, while traffic violations represented 17%. Crimes against life and physical integrity accounted for 10% of resolved investigations.
Notably, the number of investigations related to violations of the Narcotics Act declined sharply in 2024, falling by 26% to approximately 315,000. This decrease is attributed to recent changes in legislation, specifically the partial legalization of cannabis possession and cultivation which came into effect in April 2024, impacting the comparability of data with previous years. To account for the evolving legal landscape, the justice ministries of Germany’s states have announced that, beginning in 2025, the statistics will also include new procedural focuses for violations of the medicinal cannabis and consumer cannabis laws.
