Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Crime rates in Germany declined in 2025, continuing a longer-term downward trend, although public perceptions of safety remain a key economic and social factor, according to analysis by DIW Berlin.
The assessment follows the presentation of the Police Crime Statistics (PKS) 2025 by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.
Anna Bindler, Head of the Crime, Labor, and Inequality Department at DIW Berlin, said: “Police crime statistics show an overall decrease of 5.6 percent in registered offenses compared to 2024 (4.4 percent excluding immigration offenses), and a decrease of 2.3 percent in violent crime. These figures are in line with longer-term trends: Crime rates – adjusted for immigration offenses – have been trending downward since the 1990s.”
Economic impact extends beyond recorded crime
The analysis highlights that crime has broader economic implications, including costs related to policing, the judicial system and financial losses borne by society.
Bindler said: “Crime is costly: It burdens the state, among other things, through police and judicial costs, and causes considerable (including financial) damage to society.”
She added that both actual crime levels and public perceptions of safety influence economic behaviour: “In addition to recorded crime, perceptions of crime are socially and economically relevant.”
Research based on the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) indicates that concerns about crime can increase even when recorded crime is falling. These perceptions can affect mobility decisions and labour market participation.
Further evidence comes from the Dark Figure Study on Security and Crime in Germany (SKiD) 2024, which suggests that unreported crime and subjective experiences remain an important part of the overall picture.
Prevention and policy seen as key
International studies estimate that the total economic cost of crime, including material damage, impacts on victims and behavioural changes driven by fear, can reach up to 10 percent of gross domestic product.
Bindler said this underlines the need for preventive policies and evidence-based approaches: “From an economic perspective, this includes sound economic and social policies to proactively address the socio-economic factors for crime identified in research, as well as objective reporting and responsible political rhetoric to avoid triggering unnecessary fears.”
Statistics require cautious interpretation
The report also stresses that Police Crime Statistics should be interpreted carefully, as they reflect reported and recorded cases rather than the full extent of criminal activity.
Factors such as reporting behaviour and policing priorities can influence the data. As a result, the PKS provides an approximation of crime trends and should be analysed alongside victimisation and dark field studies, including SKiD and LeSuBiA, to give a more complete picture.
Source: DIW Berlin
