What happened?
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has released the figures on politically motivated crime (PMK) for 2025 – and they mark a historic high since the statistics were first introduced in 2001. A total of 85,837 politically motivated offenses were recorded, an increase of around 2 percent compared to the previous year. Already in 2024, the threshold of 80,000 cases had been exceeded for the first time. Violent offenses in this category also increased: with 4,156 offenses, their number rose by around 1.2 percent.
Particularly striking is the growth in the PMK-left category, while right-wing extremism remains by far the largest case group in numerical terms. The BKA also reports a persistently high number of hate crimes online.
The Details
According to the BKA, the overall increase in PMK figures for 2025 is primarily driven by developments in the PMK-left category: registered offenses here rose by more than 35 percent to 13,490 offenses (2024: 9,971). The increase in violent offenses is even more pronounced – these rose by more than 42 percent to 1,087 cases (2024: 762).
The PMK-right category remains by far the largest category in terms of case numbers, with 42,544 offenses – roughly half of all recorded crimes – although the overall figure declined slightly (2024: 42,788). However, violent offenses in this category rose by more than 7 percent.
In the area of hate crime, 22,159 cases were recorded (2024: 21,773) – a persistently high level. Nearly a third of these offenses were committed online. The consistently high number of xenophobic offenses (2025: 19,484; 2024: 19,481) remains the main driver, with 73.7 percent of these offenses attributed to the PMK-right category. Antisemitic offenses rose by 5.0 percent to 6,548 cases, 47.2 percent of which are related to the Middle East conflict.
Group-specific hostility also increased: offenses motivated by hostility toward women rose by 46.8 percent to 819 cases (2024: 558), reaching a new record high. Offenses motivated by hostility toward LGBTQ+ people grew by 12.8 percent to 2,377 cases, continuing a multi-year trend.
Offenses against officials and elected representatives declined slightly to 5,797 cases (2024: 6,059), but remain at a high level. The BKA's accompanying Municipal Monitoring (KoMo) also indicates that a high number of unreported cases of hostility against officials must be assumed. Offenses against police officers rose by 4.7 percent to 5,144 cases, with around a third attributable to the PMK-left category. Violent offenses against police officers within the left-wing spectrum increased by around 45 percent to 535 cases.
Assessment
Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt characterizes the figures as evidence of a growing threat from multiple directions: violent offenses are rising significantly in both the left-wing and right-wing spectrums. He points out that the left-wing scene, with a 42 percent increase in violent offenses, represents a growing threat, while by far the most offenses continue to be committed by right-wing and right-wing extremist perpetrators – meaning that, according to Dobrindt, right-wing extremism remains the greatest current danger.
BKA President Holger Münch identifies social media as a key driver of social polarization. Hate, agitation, and propaganda spread through these platforms accelerate radicalization processes and, in the worst case, lead to serious offenses in the physical world. At the same time, Münch points to an intensifying external threat from cyberattacks, espionage, sabotage, and state-sponsored terrorist activities.
For the security industry and operators of public and municipal facilities, these developments are relevant, as they show an increasing willingness to use violence against representatives of the state, institutions, and social groups. This affects not only officials and police but also facilities linked to social fault lines and conflicts.
Practical Tips
- Municipalities and public institutions should take the findings of the Municipal Monitoring (KoMo) as an opportunity to review existing security concepts for officials and administrative buildings.
- Given the high number of unreported cases of hostility against officials, systematic recording and reporting of incidents is recommended in order to realistically assess threat situations.
- Operators of facilities with public access should factor the increase in offenses motivated by hostility toward LGBTQ+ people and women into their risk assessments, particularly for events with relevant social significance.
- Since a significant proportion of hate crime takes place online, organizations should also include digital communication channels in their security monitoring.
Outlook
The BKA has announced that it will continue to closely monitor crime trends and strengthen its own investigative and central office capacities. Federal Minister of the Interior Dobrindt emphasized that the federal government opposes all forms of extremism and intends to further expand its tools against extremist threats. Given the parallel rise in threats from cyberattacks, espionage, and sabotage, security authorities are expected to continue adapting their capacities in both the physical and digital realms. For the security industry, this is likely to mean that protection concepts will increasingly need to address both dimensions – physical security and digital prevention – together going forward.
