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
A masked man allegedly forced a petrol station employee in Herne to hand over cash while displaying a knife. He fled on foot and the initial search was unsuccessful.
A suspect is alleged to have injured two men with a knife in two separate confrontations in Aachen on 6 September. He was arrested and remanded in custody.
Following a dispute between two groups outside a bar in Kaltenkirchen, one participant sustained stab injuries. Police secured a knife as a possible weapon.
A man allegedly threatened two children with a knife at a Dortmund playground and took cash from a bag. Police detained a 47-year-old suspect and seized a knife.
A man allegedly approached police officers in a threatening manner while carrying two knives in Sassenberg-Füchtorf. An officer fired after repeated warnings, injuring the man.
A 26-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries in a knife attack at an accommodation facility in Halberstadt. A detention order was issued against a 23-year-old suspect.
An unknown attacker is alleged to have attacked a 44-year-old man from behind with a stabbing weapon at a bus stop in Essen. The man sustained life-threatening injuries.
A 21-year-old man approached officers with a knife in his hand during a police operation in Hünfelden. Two officers suffered minor injuries in the ensuing confrontation.
A teenage suspect is alleged to have repeatedly injured a teacher with a stabbing weapon at a vocational college in Essen. He was arrested after a search.
Following a neighbourhood dispute in Sassenberg, a man allegedly lightly injured two neighbours and threatened police officers with two knives. An officer shot him, leaving him seriously but not critically injured.
A minor suspect allegedly seriously injured a teacher and a man with a large knife in Essen on 5 September. Germany's federal prosecutor took over the attempted murder investigation.
