Germany has hit a new record in politically motivated criminal activity, with at least 85,000 such offences registered across the country in 2025, according to an investigation by Welt am Sonntag. This surpasses the previous all-time high of 84,172 cases, which was itself only set the year before.
The scale of the increase becomes starker when viewed over a longer timeframe. In 2015, German authorities recorded 38,981 politically motivated offences. By 2025, that figure had more than doubled, a trend that security officials have been watching with growing concern for several years.
Beyond the overall numbers, what is drawing particular attention from law enforcement agencies is the sustained level of political violence. Nationwide, politically motivated violent offences increased by 1.2 percent to reach 4,156 incidents. These include bodily harm, arson and explosives-related crimes, as well as breaches of the peace.
Of the 4,156 violent incidents recorded, investigators attributed 1,598 to far-right extremists. A further 1,087 violent acts were linked to the left-wing scene, underscoring that the rise in violence is not confined to a single ideological direction.
The figures published by Welt am Sonntag are based on data gathered from 15 of Germany's 16 federal states. The only state missing from the current tally is Rhineland-Palatinate, where the analysis has been delayed following state parliament elections and a change in interior minister. Once those figures are incorporated, the national total for 2025 is expected to climb even higher.
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