This claim is not true. The largest group of migrants suspected of crimes are individuals from Syria (19.2% of all migrant suspects). Ukrainians accounted for only 11.6% of suspects in 2023. This figure is significantly lower than their share of all refugees living in Germany (33.1%).
Information is circulating online claiming that Ukrainians have become leaders in migrant-related crime in Germany. Propagandists attribute this claim to the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).
According to Russian media reports, the influx of Ukrainian refugees into Germany has allegedly caused a significant increase in crimes committed by migrants, including cases of rape, theft, intentional and unintentional killings of locals and visitors by migrants.
“The majority of suspects come from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. Ukrainians accounted for the largest share of migrant criminals in 2023 (33.1%, most refugees in the country),” several media outlets wrote, citing a report by the German criminal police.
This claim is inaccurate and manipulates data from the BKA’s 2023 report entitled “Kriminalität im Kontext von Zuwanderung” (Crime in the Context of Immigration).
First, the report shows that in 2023, Ukrainians made up the largest share of refugees in Germany – 33.1% of all migrants. Most of them are people who received temporary protection due to the war launched by Russia against Ukraine. Ukrainians will be followed by citizens of Syria (21.4%), Afghanistan (10.2%) and other countries.
The report also notes an increase in crimes committed by migrants compared to the previous year, such as theft (+34.6%), crimes against personal liberty (+19.5%), crimes against property and document forgery (+31%), and cases of rape and harassment (+16.5%). However, the proportion of migrants among all suspects in Germany is 8.9% – meaning that 9 out of 10 crimes were committed by people who are not migrants.
Propaganda sources spreading false information claim that Ukrainians allegedly account for 33.1% of all migrant suspects and lead in migrant-related crimes. This is not true. The 33.1% figure in the report refers to the share of Ukrainians among all migrants living in Germany. In reality, the largest share of suspected migrants are from Syria (19.2% of all suspected migrants). Other leading groups include persons from Afghanistan (11.2%), Iraq (5.4%), Georgia and other countries.
Ukrainians accounted for 11.6% of migrant suspects in 2023, significantly lower than their share among refugees (33.1%). Syrians, for example, accounted for 19.2% of suspected migrants, while their share among refugees was only 21.4%. Ukrainians are much less likely to be suspected of crimes than migrants from other countries. In comparison, migrants from North African countries (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia) have a much higher crime rate relative to their population size (8.9% of suspects but only 0.6% of refugees).
It is also worth noting that most Ukrainians in Germany are women and children fleeing the war. According to the BKA report, only 17.3% of suspected migrants are women.
The document also highlights an increase in the number of migrants who have been victims of crime. Almost half of the victims came from Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan. Moreover, the agency recorded a significant increase in the number of Ukrainian victims in particular (8,343 victims in 2023, compared to 3,883 in 2022 and 256 in 2021).
Previously, StopFake debunked false information claiming that the influx of refugees from Ukraine caused a spike in crime rates in Poland.
