According to data put out by the German Federal Statistical Office in response to a query by Alternative for Germany (AfD) MP Rene Springer, there are 6 convicted criminals per 1,000 Germans and 21 per 1,000 foreigners in the country.

In 2013, less than one in four convicted individuals in the country did not hold a German passport. However, ten years later, the official data paints a different picture: 39% of the 656,901 convicted individuals in 2023 were foreigners. In contrast, the proportion of foreign convicts in 2013 was 24% (185,042 out of 755,938 total convictions), the Nius news portal reports.

This means that in ten years, the number of convicted Germans decreased by 170,000, while convictions of foreigners increased by 71,000.

According to German law, individuals aged 14 and older are considered criminally responsible. When comparing conviction numbers relative to population group ratios, the disparity becomes even clearer:

• In 2023, there were exactly 6 convictions per 1,000 Germans.
• In the same year, there were approximately 21 convictions per 1,000 foreigners in Germany.

Foreigners were convicted at more than three times the rate of Germans.

Springer told the German newspaper Bild that

this development is „a direct consequence of completely botched immigration policies.”

The Afd politician added that unchecked migration must be halted and that „our citizens must be better protected against imported crime.”

Das @ifo_Institut hat vor kurzem eine politisch motivierte Studie vorgelegt, die behauptet, Zuwanderung führe nicht zu mehr Kriminalität. Nun haben wir die nackten Zahlen und es bleibt kein Zweifel: Mehr Masseneinwanderung bedeutet mehr Kriminelle. Deshalb: Grenzen dichtmachen… https://t.co/zKIZ5tYcBg

— René Springer (@Rene_Springer) February 21, 2025

During the German election campaign, one of the AfD’s core messages is the link between crime and migration, accusing traditional parties of failing to maintain public safety. In recent weeks, several attacks have shaken Germany. In January, an Afghan man carried out fatal stabbings in southern Germany, claiming two lives, including that of a two-year-old boy. And just two weeks ago, a migrant drove into a crowd in Munich.