Refugees in Germany: Less than 10% of suspects, but violent crimes are rising
The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) issued the 2024 status report, stating that refugees accounted for a small but notable share of criminal cases in Germany. Out of a total of 1,967,731 suspects, 172,203, or 8.8%, were refugees.
Germany hosted more than three million refugees in 2024, the highest level since 2015. Ukrainians made up over a million, while other common countries of origin included Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Turkey. Despite this increase, the total number of suspects decreased slightly, mainly due to partial legalization of cannabis in April 2024.
Turkish refugees showed the largest relative increase in criminal suspicion, rising by 25.8% compared to the previous year. The number of Ukrainian refugees also increased by 7.1%, but their proportion among suspects (12.8%) was much lower than their population share in Germany (35.7%).
Refugees from the Maghreb region—Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia—had a disproportionately high participation rate in crimes compared to their small population share, accounting for 9.1% of suspected refugees versus only 0.5% of the population.
Most violent crimes were linked to Syrian and Afghan refugees. In 2024, serious violent crimes included 379 offenses against life, with at least one suspect being a refugee, representing an increase of 8.9% compared to 348 cases in the previous year. Germans recorded 163 suspects per 100,000 inhabitants, while Syrians and Afghans exceeded 1,700 per 100,000 inhabitants.