MesserMonitor statistics place published knife attacks, knife threats, robbery and extortion involving a knife in their regional and temporal context. The federal-state comparison shows case counts and cases per 100,000 residents. Further analysis shows absolute case numbers by period, case type, level of use and reported injury outcome.
Comparison year2026
Federal states compared · 2026
Cases through August 29, 2026
Comparison of published cases by federal state with population, immigration history and people seeking protection.
Population Immigration history People seeking protectionMesserMonitor cases
Baden-Württemberg
11,245,909 Population
13.47 %32.06 %3.40 %
311 Cases · 2.77 Cases per 100,000 residents
Bavaria
13,260,815 Population
15.88 %26.18 %2.98 %
253 Cases · 1.91 Cases per 100,000 residents
Berlin
3,701,307 Population
4.43 %35.45 %5.21 %
109 Cases · 2.94 Cases per 100,000 residents
Brandenburg
2,552,851 Population
3.06 %10.07 %2.96 %
22 Cases · 0.86 Cases per 100,000 residents
Bremen
706,901 Population
0.85 %40.03 %6.62 %
49 Cases · 6.93 Cases per 100,000 residents
Hamburg
1,869,801 Population
2.24 %35.51 %4.12 %
40 Cases · 2.14 Cases per 100,000 residents
Hesse
6,281,600 Population
7.52 %33.51 %4.42 %
259 Cases · 4.12 Cases per 100,000 residents
Lower Saxony
8,002,922 Population
9.58 %22.62 %4.24 %
174 Cases · 2.17 Cases per 100,000 residents
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
1,567,290 Population
1.88 %8.61 %3.34 %
27 Cases · 1.72 Cases per 100,000 residents
North Rhine-Westphalia
17,999,392 Population
21.55 %30.14 %4.40 %
508 Cases · 2.82 Cases per 100,000 residents
Rhineland-Palatinate
4,124,910 Population
4.94 %25.87 %3.51 %
102 Cases · 2.47 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saarland
1,008,047 Population
1.21 %24.11 %5.35 %
7 Cases · 0.69 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saxony
4,024,188 Population
4.82 %10.49 %3.41 %
87 Cases · 2.16 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saxony-Anhalt
2,121,638 Population
2.54 %9.95 %3.69 %
62 Cases · 2.92 Cases per 100,000 residents
Schleswig-Holstein
2,959,859 Population
3.54 %19.29 %4.03 %
42 Cases · 1.42 Cases per 100,000 residents
Thuringia
2,081,288 Population
2.49 %10.19 %3.49 %
49 Cases · 2.35 Cases per 100,000 residents
Analysis and result
The figures are based on publicly reported cases found through the evaluated sources.
Social context
Each point represents a federal state. Its position connects the selected social indicator with published cases per 100,000 residents.
Area statesCity states
Result for the selected indicatorData table and sources
After an argument on a tram in Halle, a minor threatened an acquaintance with a knife. The other minor later suffered a small injury believed to have been caused by the knife.
During an argument in Darmstadt, a 39-year-old man is alleged to have injured a 24-year-old man with a pocketknife. The suspect has been remanded in custody.
Several young men allegedly threatened a 49-year-old man with a knife, assaulted him and robbed him in a green area in Eppelheim. The victim sustained minor injuries.
A man allegedly approached another man with a knife and a glass bottle during an argument at a playground in Schwerin. The man fended off the attack and was not injured.
A 38-year-old man pointed a razor blade at police officers outside Ettlingen District Court. He was arrested and received medical treatment for self-inflicted injuries.
A teenager sustained a superficial cut in Stralsund during an attack by a group after people picked up glass shards. Another teenager was injured while fleeing.
During a call over a domestic dispute in Ludwigshafen, a man confronted police officers while holding a knife. Officers sustained minor injuries while restraining him.
