Recorded crime down in Germany in 2025, but violent assault up

The number of criminal offences recorded in Germany declined in 2025, according to annual police statistics released on Monday, although reports of violent crime including rape and sexual assault were up markedly.

Excluding violations of immigration law, crime was down by 4.4% compared to 2024. In April that year, Germany partially legalized the cultivation and possession of marijuana, which contributed to the decline.

Police recorded a total of some 5.5 million criminal offences in 2025, down by 5.6% compared to 2024 including violations of immigration law.

Offences related to immigration regulations were down by over 28% compared to the previous year, partially due to intensified border checks introduced by the conservative-led administration of Chancellor Friedrich Merz after it took office in May 2025.

The ouster of Syria's long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 also contributed to the decline, with fewer Syrians trying to immigrate to Germany.

By contrast, offences related to benefit fraud were up by 11.5%, while murder, manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter were up by 6.5%, though police noted that this was within the range of fluctuations normally observed.

Rape, sexual assault and sexual offences of a particularly serious nature or resulting in death were up by 8.5%.

Meanwhile, cases of robbery, extortion and assaults on motorists were down by 7.1%, while the number of recorded drug-related offences fell by 27.7%.

In another worrying trend, the number of minors involved in violent crimes was up by 3.3%, rising to some 14,200 suspects, though that was less pronounced than the previous year's increase of 11.3%.

Out of all the murder cases recorded in the statistics, 79 are suspected to have been carried out by one person: a former palliative care doctor in Berlin who is believed to have killed severely ill patients. His trial is ongoing.

Criminal police also believes that the rise in sexual offences is partly due to an increase in people reporting such acts.