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 October 24, 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 %
360 Cases · 3.20 Cases per 100,000 residents
Bavaria
13,260,815 Population
15.88 %26.18 %2.98 %
322 Cases · 2.43 Cases per 100,000 residents
Berlin
3,701,307 Population
4.43 %35.45 %5.21 %
132 Cases · 3.57 Cases per 100,000 residents
Brandenburg
2,552,851 Population
3.06 %10.07 %2.96 %
73 Cases · 2.86 Cases per 100,000 residents
Bremen
706,901 Population
0.85 %40.03 %6.62 %
59 Cases · 8.35 Cases per 100,000 residents
Hamburg
1,869,801 Population
2.24 %35.51 %4.12 %
53 Cases · 2.83 Cases per 100,000 residents
Hesse
6,281,600 Population
7.52 %33.51 %4.42 %
304 Cases · 4.84 Cases per 100,000 residents
Lower Saxony
8,002,922 Population
9.58 %22.62 %4.24 %
197 Cases · 2.46 Cases per 100,000 residents
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
1,567,290 Population
1.88 %8.61 %3.34 %
33 Cases · 2.11 Cases per 100,000 residents
North Rhine-Westphalia
17,999,392 Population
21.55 %30.14 %4.40 %
613 Cases · 3.41 Cases per 100,000 residents
Rhineland-Palatinate
4,124,910 Population
4.94 %25.87 %3.51 %
112 Cases · 2.72 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saarland
1,008,047 Population
1.21 %24.11 %5.35 %
9 Cases · 0.89 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saxony
4,024,188 Population
4.82 %10.49 %3.41 %
113 Cases · 2.81 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saxony-Anhalt
2,121,638 Population
2.54 %9.95 %3.69 %
78 Cases · 3.68 Cases per 100,000 residents
Schleswig-Holstein
2,959,859 Population
3.54 %19.29 %4.03 %
68 Cases · 2.30 Cases per 100,000 residents
Thuringia
2,081,288 Population
2.49 %10.19 %3.49 %
57 Cases · 2.74 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
During a confrontation near Buchloe, a 31-year-old man threatened a driver with a broken pocketknife. Police say he used it again in a later dispute but report no injury caused by the knife.
During a dispute on Hauptstraße in Offenburg, a 44-year-old man allegedly struck a 23-year-old man and later threatened him with a kitchen knife. The younger man sustained minor injuries, and police provisionally detained the older man.
A 32-year-old man attacked another 32-year-old man with a knife outside a changing room at a Flensburg gym on 27 September, injuring his hands. Police arrested the attacker after he fled.
During a confrontation between two groups in Bad Segeberg, a 23-year-old man allegedly used a knife and injured at least two men. One was initially in life-threatening condition.
During a dispute in an allotment garden, a 46-year-old man allegedly injured a 44-year-old man with a sword. A court ordered the suspect held in pre-trial detention.
A 52-year-old man sustained life-threatening stab wounds during a dispute in an apartment in Essen-Katernberg. A minor is suspected, and investigators are examining indications of self-defence.
Three teenagers allegedly threatened two boys with a knife at Dörnigheim station and took their cash. One suspect was provisionally detained, while two others remain at large. No one was injured.
A teenager is suspected of repeatedly stabbing an 18-year-old during a dispute in a car park in central Berlin. The injured man was admitted to hospital.
A 53-year-old man was found with stab wounds after a confrontation between two men in Düsseldorf-Flingern. He remained in life-threatening condition after emergency surgery; the instrument has not been identified.
A group of five allegedly threatened three young people with a knife at Gelsenkirchen station and took a watch and cash. Two suspects were provisionally detained.
A 70-year-old man allegedly followed several teenagers in Berlin-Kreuzberg on 25 September and held a kitchen knife near a boy’s neck. Police are investigating four cases.
Two unidentified suspects held a knife and a firearm on a 22-year-old man during a robbery in Darmstadt-Arheilgen. They took cash and his phone before fleeing.
An unknown assailant allegedly attacked a 28-year-old man in Bad Oldesloe and used a stabbing weapon while trying to steal his phone. The injured man was taken to hospital; the assailant escaped empty-handed.
An unknown woman allegedly injured a 60-year-old man with a knife in Görlitzer Park and took his cash. He received outpatient hospital treatment, while the woman fled.
At a parking area beside the A7, a man threatened a co-worker first with a bottle and then with a utility knife. After he put down the knife, the co-worker punched him, injuring his face.
A woman approached responding police officers in Neubrandenburg with a knife and threatened them. She put it down after officers spoke to her; no one was injured.
At the Lebbiner Heide rest area, a 56-year-old man and his 19-year-old son confronted two suspected thieves. They faced a drawn knife, and the father was punched in the face.
