In 2024, 5.84 million crimes were registered in Germany, including more than 217,000 acts of violence, according to a newly published report from the country’s Ministry of the Interior.
The police are particularly concerned about the rise in juvenile offenders. The number of violent crimes committed by children has increased by 11.3%, and by teenagers, it has risen by 3.8%.
“The mental strain caused by COVID measures continues to have an impact,” the report explains.
Last year, the police recorded 15,741 knife attacks.
“Every day in Germany, around 600 acts of violence occur. The state must act decisively — offenders must quickly and clearly feel the consequences of their actions,” said Germany’s Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser.
One of the most discussed facts is the share of foreigners among the suspects. Although people without German citizenship make up only about 15% of the population, they account for 42% of all suspects — 913,196 individuals. Nearly 384,000 of them are officially recognized migrants. The total number of suspects was 2.18 million people.
Among the areas where especially noticeable increases were recorded are economic crime (+57.6%), the distribution of psychoactive substances (+41.6%), crimes involving payment cards (+9.2%), rape and sexual violence (+9.3%), child pornography (+8.5%), threats (+7.0%), and stalking (+6.9%).
