Germany | HCRW

Germany regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Close collaboration with civil society in the area of hate crime victim support has been established at the level of federal states, namely with the Weisser Ring civil society organization (CSO) and a number of specialized CSOs. The Federal Ministry of Justice and the Federal Victims' Commissioner are in regular contact with a number of victim support institutions and victims' representatives. Germany has conducted victimization surveys to measure under-reported hate crimes. The most recent report covering 2012-2017 is available here.

In 2021, ODIHR, together with Federal Ministries, organized a virtual study visit to Germany on strengthening co-operation between the Government and civil society on hate crime victim support.

The German government funds several organizations and projects to monitor hate incidents and assist hate crime victims. These include the Competence Network Against Antisemitism (KOMPAS), which consists of five experienced civil society organizations that register anti-Semitic incidents and develop measures to prevent anti-Semitism. The government also funds the Competence Network on Hate on the Net, which advises victims of hate speech, strengthens civil society networks, and develops media literacy materials.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2015 hate crime report for Germany

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	17,007	Not available	Not available
2022	11,520	Not available	Not available
2021	10,501	Not available	Not available
2020	10,240	Not available	Not available
2019	8,585	-	-
2018	8,113	Not available	Not available
2017	7,913	Not available	Not available
2016	3,598	Not available	Not available
2015	3046	Not available	Not available
2014	3059	Not available	Not available
2013	4647	Not available	Not available
2012	4514	Not available	Not available
2011	4040	Not available	Not available
2010	3770	Not available	Not available
2009	4583	Not available	Not available

About 2015 Data

148 Crimes motivated by bias against social status were also reported but are not presented on this page. Some of the incidents can include more than one bias motivation and are therefore listed more than once in the breakdown below. Incidents broken down by bias motivation thus do not necessarily add up to the overall number of hate crimes listed here, or the number reported in other official statistics.

Download official data

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR observes that Germany has not reported the numbers of prosecuted and/or information on sentenced hate crime cases to ODIHR.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Download incident data

Reports

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported 12 physical assaults, including four assaults committed by groups; three threats; four incidents of damage to property; 15 incidents of vandalism and the desecration of graves in a Jewish cemetery.

Anti-Muslim hate crime

Insaan reported two physical assaults, including an attack carried by a group on an elderly Sikh man mistaken for a Muslim, an incident of threats and two incidents of vandalism involving graffiti.

Hate crime against Christians and members of other religions

Jehovah's Witnesses – Germany reported a physical assault on a man; one threat that also caused damage to the victim's vehicle; two incidents of damage to property, including one that involved the use of an air-gun and one targeting a place of worship; and six incidents of graffiti on places of worship.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

MANEO reported 78 physical assaults targeting LGBT people, including eight that were classified as serious; 39 robberies; 9 burglaries; two incidents of damage to property; one case of vandalism; and 69 incidents of threats.

Disability hate crime

The coalition of civil society groups Hate Crime Counselling Project reported four incidents targeting people with disabilities, including physical assaults, harassment, threats and damage to property.

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

The coalition of civil society groups Hate Crime Counselling Project reported 1,004 racist and xenophobic incidents, which included physical assaults, harassment, threats and damage to property.

Anti-Roma hate crime

The coalition of civil society groups Hate Crime Counselling Projects reported 32 anti-Roma incidents, which included physical assaults, harassment, threats and damage to property.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

In its "Concluding observations on the combined nineteenth to twenty-second periodic reports of Germany", the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) recommended that an explicit duty to investigate and document any racist motive of criminal offences be imposed on the police, that police be trained on reporting and investigating hate crimes, and that Germany's hate crime data-collection system be improved. CERD also expressed concerns about the increase in attacks against asylum-seekers and called for them to be protected from racially motivated violence.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, in the annual activity report following his country visit to Germany, welcomed amendments to the criminal code that made racist motivation an aggravating circumstance. The Commissioner also called on the authorities to improve the recording of hate crimes, in particular by increasing the disaggregation of data, to introduce guidance for police and prosecutors, and to train all criminal justice actors on hate crimes.