Between Easing and Escalation
“Roughly 80 knife attacks per day” captures the reality behind otherwise declining overall figures. In 2025, police recorded 29,243 knife attacks. The level remains high, with only a marginal increase. At the same time, threats involving knives rose by 9.5%.
The contradictory trend is particularly evident in serious offences. While overall numbers are falling, individual forms of violence continue to rise. The number of rapes increased by 9.0% in 2025. Since 2018, that amounts to an increase of around 72%. Perpetrators predominantly come from the victims’ social environment. Men account for 98.6% of suspects. The share of non-German suspects stands at 38.5%.
At the same time, the dark figure remains substantial. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office study Security and Crime in Germany, the reporting rate for rape and sexual abuse is just 6.2%. The true scale of these offences is therefore likely to be significantly higher than official figures suggest.
Other indicators of violence are also rising. Firearm-related violent crime reached 3,166 cases, the highest level since 2016. Shots were actually fired in 1,371 cases. At the same time, crime is increasingly shifting into digital spaces. While domestically recorded cybercrime cases declined slightly, offences originating abroad rose significantly. The number of such cases already exceeds those committed within Germany.
Federal Criminal Police Office President Holger Münch spoke of a fundamental transformation. Crime, he said, is becoming “more digital, more international and, in some areas, more brutal”. The trend is particularly visible in fraud. While domestic offences are declining, the financial damage from crimes committed abroad rose to €2.3bn.
Stable Sense of Security, Growing Unease
Despite these developments, the subjective sense of security remains surprisingly stable. Three quarters of the population feel safe in their neighborhood at night. Yet that figure is misleading.
In public spaces, a different picture emerges. Some 45% of people feel unsafe at night on public transport. At railway stations, in parks and in public squares, the sense of security is even weaker.
Young people are particularly affected. A victim survey by the Federal Criminal Police Office shows that 8.5% of 16- and 17-year-olds have been victims of assault. That is more than twice as many as in 2020. Drug-related crime also presents a distorted picture. The sharp decline of 27.7% is largely due to the legalization of cannabis. At the same time, offences involving cocaine, methamphetamine and new psychoactive substances continue to rise.
The chair of the Conference of Interior Ministers, Andy Grote, described the trend as “encouraging”, but warned of significant shortcomings in the protection of women. Sexualized violence, including in digital spaces, continues to increase. The 2025 crime statistics thus depict a country in transition. Traditional offence figures are declining, but the threat landscape is shifting. Violence is becoming more intense in certain areas, crime more international, and key risk groups remain prominent.
