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 year2025
Federal states compared · 2025
Cases through December 31, 2025
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 %
491 Cases · 4.37 Cases per 100,000 residents
Bavaria
13,260,815 Population
15.88 %26.18 %2.98 %
382 Cases · 2.88 Cases per 100,000 residents
Berlin
3,701,307 Population
4.43 %35.45 %5.21 %
196 Cases · 5.30 Cases per 100,000 residents
Brandenburg
2,552,851 Population
3.06 %10.07 %2.96 %
72 Cases · 2.82 Cases per 100,000 residents
Bremen
706,901 Population
0.85 %40.03 %6.62 %
80 Cases · 11.32 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 %
352 Cases · 5.60 Cases per 100,000 residents
Lower Saxony
8,002,922 Population
9.58 %22.62 %4.24 %
314 Cases · 3.92 Cases per 100,000 residents
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
1,567,290 Population
1.88 %8.61 %3.34 %
69 Cases · 4.40 Cases per 100,000 residents
North Rhine-Westphalia
17,999,392 Population
21.55 %30.14 %4.40 %
847 Cases · 4.71 Cases per 100,000 residents
Rhineland-Palatinate
4,124,910 Population
4.94 %25.87 %3.51 %
172 Cases · 4.17 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saarland
1,008,047 Population
1.21 %24.11 %5.35 %
18 Cases · 1.79 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saxony
4,024,188 Population
4.82 %10.49 %3.41 %
141 Cases · 3.50 Cases per 100,000 residents
Saxony-Anhalt
2,121,638 Population
2.54 %9.95 %3.69 %
79 Cases · 3.72 Cases per 100,000 residents
Schleswig-Holstein
2,959,859 Population
3.54 %19.29 %4.03 %
121 Cases · 4.09 Cases per 100,000 residents
Thuringia
2,081,288 Population
2.49 %10.19 %3.49 %
100 Cases · 4.80 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
In Bremen, a man allegedly threatened an employee at a sales stand with a knife and made stabbing movements towards him after an argument. The employee was not injured.
A 28-year-old man was allegedly attacked by two men in Ulm. One attacker allegedly tried to stab him with a pocketknife, leaving him with a slight cut injury.
A 63-year-old man was injured in the hand with a knife during a dispute at accommodation in Sulzbach-Rosenberg. A detention order was issued against a 38-year-old suspect.
An unidentified man allegedly pushed a woman to the floor, displayed a knife and robbed her of her wallet inside a building in Gladbeck. The woman suffered minor injuries.
A young man allegedly threatened two teenagers with a knife and demanded money at Storkow railway station. Police provisionally detained the 18-year-old.
An unidentified man allegedly forced a restaurant employee in central Berlin to hand over cash at knifepoint. The employee was unharmed and the suspect fled on foot.
A man allegedly threatened two security employees with a knife and a spade at a business premises in Berlin-Lichterfelde. One of the employees was injured with the spade during a confrontation.
During a family dispute in Nuremberg, an 18-year-old man is alleged to have attacked his 40-year-old brother-in-law with a knife. The victim died at the scene.
During a dispute at Betzdorf bus station, a cyclist held a knife in front of himself. He was then punched in the face by someone from a group of teenagers.
A man is alleged to have lightly injured a passer-by with a knife in Wuppertal. He was seriously injured by police gunfire after allegedly approaching officers while armed.
A 31-year-old man threatened police officers with a knife in his Offenbach apartment on 5 August. Police officers sustained minor injuries during his provisional detention.
A 33-year-old man suffered a cut wound during an altercation involving several men in Merseburg. Another man was injured after the 33-year-old defended himself with an iron bar and bit him.
