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
A 76-year-old man is suspected of fatally injuring his wife with a knife after an argument in their shared home in Heilbronn. He was remanded in custody.
A 43-year-old man is alleged to have repeatedly approached police officers threateningly with a knife in central Bad Oeynhausen. Officers subdued him after using pepper spray.
During a dispute outside a kiosk in Frankfurt-Preungesheim, a man allegedly threatened several teenagers with a knife. Three people sustained minor injuries from an irritant.
During a dispute in an apartment building in Backnang, a man was allegedly injured with a kitchen knife; all five people involved sustained minor injuries.
Three youths allegedly tried to take money from a minor in Gelsenkirchen. Police said they threatened him with a pocketknife after he resisted and then fled.
A 20-year-old man allegedly made repeated stabbing motions with a knife toward an officer at a police station in Bersenbrück. The officer was uninjured and the suspect was provisionally detained.
A 31-year-old man is alleged to have seriously injured his 30-year-old partner with a knife in Weiden. A detention order was issued on suspicion of attempted homicide.
