Knife attack occurs every 18 minutes in Germany

Knife incidents in Germany are becoming more frequent and severe. According to data for 2024, the police recorded 29,014 cases, which translates to one attack every 18 minutes and approximately 80 per day, writes the Prosecurity website.

The Federal Criminal Police Office warns that the proportion of particularly dangerous attacks resulting in serious injuries has increased by 10.8 per cent year on year. Almost every third day, one person dies as a result of a stabbing attack.

The situation is mapped in real time by the portal messerinzidenz.de, where individual incidents are displayed across the federal states. Statistics also indicate that, in proportion to their share of the population, foreigners commit significantly more of these crimes, often young men from Syria and Afghanistan.

However, this growing trend is not only observed in Germany as similar developments have also been reported in Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, where the number of knife attacks has risen sharply in recent years.

(pir)