Everything You Need to Know About the Annual Statistics on Far-Right Crime in Germany
Far-right hate crimes pose a growing threat to democracy and social cohesion in Germany. Officially, these offences are recorded under the category PMK–rechts (Politisch motivierte Kriminalität – rechts), meaning politically motivated crime – right-wing extremist.
Record figures in 2024
In 2024, the police recorded a total of 84,172 politically motivated offences, around 50,000 of which fell into the category PMK–rechts (bundesjustizamt.de, de.wikipedia.org).
By the end of November 2024, 33,963 far-right offences had been registered – an increase of more than 17 % compared to 2023 (digit.site36.net).
Among these were:
21,311 incidents of far-right propaganda
5,097 cases of hate speech / incitement to hatred
1,136 physical assaults
1,942 incidents of property damage (digit.site36.net)
Development of the classification since 2001
Since 2001, the system for recording politically motivated crime (PMK) has been revised and expanded. The purpose was to capture not only “classical” political violence, but also offences motivated by racism, xenophobia, antisemitism or hostility towards certain religions and minorities.
Far-right politically motivated crime has been rising noticeably since around 2003. In recent years, the total number of politically motivated offences has fluctuated between 50,000 and 80,000 cases per year, with more than half attributed to PMK–rechts (rm.coe.int).
Violent crimes and the security architecture
In 2024, far-right extremists committed around 4,107 violent offences with a political motivation, accounting for roughly 5 % of all politically motivated crimes (politico.eu).
In total, 37,835 offences were classified as right-wing extremist, out of 57,701 offences for which an ideological category (e.g. right-wing, left-wing, religious) could be assigned (de.wikipedia.org).
What do official reports say?
Reports from the Federal Ministry of the Interior and federal police authorities attribute the upwards trend to several factors, including:
Heightened tensions in political debates on migration and asylum
The impact of international conflicts, such as the war in Gaza, on the domestic climate
Authorities describe these years as “years of escalating violence”, drawing parallels to the 1990s, when far-right attacks and racist riots surged in parts of Germany.
Victims and consequences
Victim support centres documented 1,212 cases of threats and violence in 2024 – roughly one third of all incidents recorded under PMK–rechts (verband-brg.de).
Official bodies point to a marked rise in attacks targeting:
Schools and educational institutions
Politicians and local office holders
Refugees and migrants
Mosques and Muslim communities
This underlines the growing danger posed by far-right violence to key institutions of society and particularly vulnerable groups.
Why is this documentation important?
Comprehensive statistical recording of far-right crime is crucial for several reasons:
Legal accountability: It strengthens the prosecution of perpetrators and helps allocate police and judicial resources more effectively.
Empowering civil society: NGOs and community organisations can use the data to design legal, psychological and social support structures for victims.
Early detection and prevention: Trends become visible, allowing polarisation and radicalisation to be identified at an early stage and counter-measures to be developed.
Government measures and protection
The Federal Police and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) collect and consolidate data on politically motivated crime and publish comprehensive annual situation reports.
The domestic intelligence service (Verfassungsschutz) monitors far-right structures and classifies organisations, networks and individuals to prevent them from escalating into organised violence (efms.uni-bamberg.de, de.wikipedia.org).
Cooperation between security agencies, municipalities and civil society actors aims to improve protection for groups most at risk, such as refugees, minorities and politically active individuals.
Conclusion
Far-right crime in Germany is at a persistently high and rising level: by the end of November 2024, more than 33,000 such offences had been documented.
The expanded definition of PMK–rechts enables a more accurate picture of the threat posed by far-right crime, while state institutions and civil society are working in parallel on prevention, awareness-raising and consistent law enforcement.
If you witness or become a victim of far-right motivated crime, do not hesitate to act:
Contact the police,
reach out to an anti-discrimination office, or
get in touch with support organisations that can assist you legally and psychologically.
welt.de
theguardian.com
* The editorial team of the website strives to provide accurate information based on extensive research and multiple sources. Nevertheless, errors may occur or some information may be incomplete or not fully verified. Please treat this article as an initial reference and always consult the competent authorities for binding and up-to-date information.
