Nearly half of the crimes in Berlin are committed by foreigners, data reveals

03/28/2025 / By Laura Harris

Crime in Berlin increased by 0.4 percent in 2024, with 539,049 offenses reported. Foreigners accounted for 43.9 percent of crimes (excluding immigration-related offenses), a slight rise from 2023. Homicide and manslaughter cases surged by over 50 percent, while assaults and basement break-ins also increased.
Many offenders with foreign origins now hold German citizenship, complicating crime statistics. For example, over 80 percent of New Year’s arrest suspects had foreign-origin names and clan-related crimes often involve German citizens.
Youth crime is a growing concern, with suspects under 21 accounting for 18.1 percent of cases. Youth gang violence rose by 17.2 percent, and 5,000 of the 25,000 youth suspects were under 14.
Violent crimes against police officers increased by 10.2 percent, with 10,584 officers victimized in 2024.
Similar patterns are seen in other cities like Frankfurt, where foreign nationals committed 57.2 percent of crimes (excluding immigration offenses). Despite a 1.5 percent overall crime decline, violent crimes like murder and manslaughter reached a 10-year high, with 120 cases reported.

Newly released crime statistics for 2024 paint a concerning picture of rising criminal activity in Germany, particularly in Berlin, where foreigners remain vastly overrepresented in crime data.

In Berlin, the total number of criminal offenses rose to 539,049, marking a 0.4 percent increase from 2023. This equates to 2,352 additional crimes compared to the previous year. Excluding immigration-related offenses, foreigners accounted for 43.9 percent of all crimes, a slight uptick from 43.2 percent in 2023. The number of suspects also rose by 2.1 percent, reaching 143,534.

One of the most alarming trends is the dramatic rise in homicides and manslaughter cases, which surged by over 50 percent. In 2024, Berlin recorded 117 such cases, compared to 77 in 2023. Assaults and basement break-ins also increased, while thefts, knife attacks and drug offenses saw a decline. (Related: Germany’s new migration policy: Dumping asylum seekers on Poland sparks controversy.)

The data also reveals a complicating factor: Many offenders with foreign origins now hold German citizenship. For example, during New Year’s arrests, over 80 percent of suspects had names of foreign origin. Clan groups involved in serious crimes, including murder, are often composed of German citizens, meaning their offenses are recorded as crimes committed by Germans.

Youth crime is another growing concern. Suspects under the age of 21 accounted for 18.1 percent of all cases, with youth gang violence increasing by 17.2 percent. Notably, 5,000 of the 25,000 youth suspects were under the age of 14.

Police officers are also increasingly becoming targets of violence. In 2024, 10,584 officers were victims of violent crimes, a 10.2 percent increase from the previous year.

“I believe that the figures are nevertheless worrying and also a warning signal. Of course, we can exclude the offenses that violate immigration law. As a rule, they cannot commit German offenses. Nevertheless, we are talking about (foreigners involved in) more than 43 percent of cases. This continues to rise. This is disproportionate to the total population in our city,” Benjamin Jendro, spokesman for the Berlin police union, said on discussing the statistics.

“What should not be ignored is that 30 percent of foreign suspects are not registered in Berlin. We are talking about traveling offenders, possibly also immigrants who are registered in other federal states. This is a phenomenon that we have been observing for a few years now, especially with mass offenses. With all these offenses, every crime is one too many, we are talking about more than one-third, more than 200,000 are theft offenses. We are talking about bicycle theft, pickpocketing, store theft and burglary,” Jendro added.

Foreign nationals have committed 57.2 percent of crimes in Frankfurt

The trends are not limited to Berlin.

Several other cities have also published crime statistics, including Frankfurt, where crime rates experienced a modest decline of 1.5 percent. However, excluding immigration-related offenses, 57.2 percent of all crimes were committed by foreign nationals.

Despite the overall decrease, certain violent crimes reached alarming levels. Murder and manslaughter cases surged to a 10-year high, with 120 incidents reported in 2024 compared to 63 in 2023. Additionally, assaults increased by 1,000 cases during the same period.

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