Germany's political divide deepens as extremist attitudes surge across regions
Political radicalisation in Germany has risen sharply over the past five years. New figures show a growing number of people supporting extremist views, while politically motivated crimes have hit record levels. The trend varies significantly between regions, with some areas seeing far steeper increases than others.
The share of Germans open to far-right ideologies jumped from 21.8 percent in 2021 to 29.6 percent in 2025. At the same time, the number of victims in politically motivated, bias-driven crimes nearly doubled, climbing from 1,221 in 2020 to 2,162 in 2024. By 2024, the rate of such crimes reached 100.7 per 100,000 inhabitants—the highest on record.
Regional differences have become more pronounced. Eastern states like Saxony and Thuringia, where the far-right AfD won 20-25 percent of votes, saw a 15-20 percent rise in anti-democratic attitudes. Reports from the domestic intelligence agency link this surge to economic struggles, migration debates, and social media influence. In contrast, southern states such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, with AfD support below 10 percent, recorded only minor increases of 2-5 percent in extremist leanings.
Despite these shifts, 85.6 percent of the population still backed core democratic values in 2025. Yet concerns remain over specific prejudices: 7.2 percent of respondents held openly antisemitic views, while 28.3 percent showed clear anti-Muslim attitudes by mid-2025. The overall share of those classified as democracy-distant reached 14.4 percent in the same year.
The data highlights a deepening divide in political attitudes across Germany. While most citizens continue to support democratic principles, the rise in extremist views and hate crimes points to growing polarisation. Regional disparities suggest economic and social factors are shaping these trends in different ways.
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