Foreign Nationals Nearly Half of German Inmates

The proportion of foreign prisoners in German prisons continues to rise. As of March 2026, people without German citizenship accounted for approximately 45% of all inmates, or about 27,000 out of a total of 60,400 people serving sentences.

As recently as 2015, their share was just over 30%, according to the daily newspaper Bild.

The highest proportions of foreign nationals are found in Berlin, Hamburg, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, while the proportions are significantly lower in the eastern German states.

The prison workers' union warns that language barriers are increasingly complicating the rehabilitation of inmates.

According to union president René Müller, aggression is on the rise, closed groups are forming, and there are concerns about the radicalization of some Muslim prisoners.

At the same time, he points to staff shortages and prison overcrowding, which he says make it harder to maintain security and reduce the chances of successful rehabilitation.

(mja)