German Crime Statistics Reveal 56-Fold Higher Crime Rate for Young Algerians, Sparking Calls for Danish-Style Data Collection

Berlin, Germany – New official crime statistics released by the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA) indicate a stark disparity in crime rates among youth, with young Algerians living in Germany identified as being 56 times more likely to be suspected of a crime than their German counterparts. These figures, published for the first time in the official Police Crime Statistics (PKS) using a "suspect burden figure" (TVBZ), are prompting renewed calls for a reevaluation of how Germany collects and presents crime data, advocating for a model similar to Denmark's that includes ethnic background.

The BKA's new compilation measures the number of suspected perpetrators per 100,000 inhabitants across different population groups, excluding violations of the Aliens Act. While the overall TVBZ for German citizens across all age groups stands at 1,878, the figures are significantly higher for non-citizens. For instance, Syrian suspects show a TVBZ of 8,236, and Afghans 8,753, both more than four times the German rate. The disparity becomes most pronounced when focusing on young people aged 14-18. In this age bracket, Syrian youth are five times more active in crime than their German peers, and Moroccan youth are 19 times more active, with young Algerians exhibiting the most extreme difference at 56 times higher.

The data further confirms this pattern in specific crime categories. In "street crime," which encompasses assault, robbery, sexual harassment, and pickpocketing, German citizens have a TVBZ of 168. This figure escalates dramatically for Syrian citizens to 1,291 and for Afghan citizens to 1,218, nearly eight times higher. Critics argue that these statistics, while shocking, may still underrepresent the full extent of the issue, as German authorities do not record the ethnic background of citizens. This means individuals with German citizenship but foreign roots are categorized simply as "German."

Concerns have been raised by politicians and commentators regarding this data collection methodology. Instances cited include the prevalence of names like "Mohammad" among German citizens suspected in gang rape cases in North Rhine-Westphalia, and a significant proportion of individuals with "foreign names" arrested during the 2024/2025 New Year's Eve riots in Berlin who were counted as German citizens. A senior Berlin prosecutor has also reportedly stated that up to three out of four members of "criminal family clans" – organized groups with hundreds of members tied by family or tribe – are second-generation immigrants or naturalized citizens. These clans are known to leverage members in legitimate society, including lawyers and police, to aid their criminal activities.

Following the release of these statistics, there is a growing demand for Germany to adopt a statistical approach akin to Denmark's, which tracks crime rates among citizens with a foreign background. Proponents argue that such detailed data is essential for accurately measuring the integration levels of individuals with foreign roots, even those whose families have resided in Germany for generations. The new figures also challenge the notion that higher crime rates among immigrants are solely attributable to demographic factors like age, demonstrating significantly higher rates even when comparing the same age groups. This discussion is set against a backdrop where similar official crime statistics from other European nations like Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands also indicate higher crime rates among foreign-background individuals from certain countries and regions, including second-generation migrants.