World Map of Peace
The safest cities in Germany
Munich, Augsburg and Mainz had the fewest recorded offences per inhabitant of all large German cities in 2025. All 39 cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants compared, with violence, burglary, smaller cities and the differences between the federal states
Key points at a glance
- The safest large city in Germany in statistical terms is Munich: according to the Police Crime Statistics 2025, the police recorded 6,061 offences per 100,000 inhabitants there, compared with 6,591 nationwide.
- On this page, safe means the fewest recorded offences per inhabitant. The statistics only show the light field, meaning offences that were reported or discovered by the police.
- The lowest figures of all 81 cities in the table are in Fürth with 4,385 and Erlangen with 4,434, both with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants. The smaller a municipality, the lower its frequency rate on average.
- Bavaria has the lowest frequency rate of the federal states, with 4,371 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This page does not give travel advice.
In numbers
6,061
offences per 100,000 inhabitants
in Munich, the lowest figure of the large cities
4,385
offences per 100,000 inhabitants
in Fürth, the lowest figure of all 81 cities in the table
35
burglaries per 100,000 inhabitants
in Augsburg, the lowest figure of the large cities
- Munich6,061
- Augsburg6,464
- Mainz6,600
- Nuremberg7,206
- Karlsruhe7,407
- Wiesbaden7,554
- Dresden7,781
- Bielefeld8,041
- Braunschweig8,069
- Oberhausen8,109
- Germany as a whole6,591
- Municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants3,667
- 20,000 to under 100,000 inhabitants6,323
- 100,000 to under 500,000 inhabitants9,153
- Cities with 500,000 inhabitants or more10,962
- Germany as a whole6,591
Offences per 100,000 inhabitants
- Bavaria
- 4,371
- Baden-Württemberg
- 4,902
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- 5,427
- Germany as a whole
- 6,591
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- 7,524
- Saxony-Anhalt
- 8,090
- Hamburg
- 11,468
- Bremen
- 13,393
- Berlin
- 13,642
Violent crime per 100,000 inhabitants
- Bavaria
- 164
- Baden-Württemberg
- 176
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- 208
- Germany as a whole
- 254
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- 299
- Saxony-Anhalt
- 302
- Hamburg
- 457
- Bremen
- 556
- Berlin
- 537
- Data basis
- Police Crime Statistics 2025, city table in the version of 16 October 2026
- Publisher
- Federal Criminal Police Office, Wiesbaden
- Compared
- 39 cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants
- Reading
- Recorded cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the frequency rate
- Author
- Johannes Max Harms
Which are the safest cities in Germany?
According to the Police Crime Statistics 2025 of the Federal Criminal Police Office, among cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants the police recorded the fewest offences per inhabitant in Munich: 6,061 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Augsburg follows with 6,464, Mainz with 6,600, Nuremberg with 7,206 and Karlsruhe with 7,407. For Germany as a whole, the figure was 6,591.
On this page, safe means the fewest recorded offences per inhabitant. It is notable that Munich is the third largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Large cities otherwise usually have higher figures than small ones; in cities with 500,000 inhabitants or more, the frequency rate nationwide was 10,962.
The statistics only show the light field, meaning offences that were reported or discovered by the police. A low figure therefore does not mean that nothing happens in a city, but that fewer cases were registered there in relation to the population than elsewhere. How large the differences are worldwide when cities are compared by their homicide rate is shown in the ranking of cities with the most homicides per inhabitant.
Where do the police record the least violent crime?
Among the large cities, violent crime was lowest in 2025 in Mainz with 263 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Karlsruhe with 269, Augsburg with 301, Munich with 309 and Bochum with 313. The figure for Germany as a whole was 254. Even the large cities with the lowest figures are therefore slightly above it.
The statistics count as violent crime, among other things, murder and manslaughter, rape and sexual coercion in particularly serious cases, robbery, aggravated and grievous bodily harm and hostage-taking. Simple assault is not included.
The order differs from the ranking of all offences. Bochum is 12th among the cities with the fewest cases for all offences and fifth for violence. Wiesbaden, by contrast, is sixth for all offences but in the middle of the field for violence, with 382.
Which cities with fewer than 200,000 inhabitants have even lower figures?
The city table of the Federal Criminal Police Office covers all 81 cities with 100,000 inhabitants or more and the state capitals. The lowest figures in it are in Fürth with 4,385 and Erlangen with 4,434 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, both in Bavaria. They are followed by Pforzheim with 5,814, Munich with 6,061 and Reutlingen with 6,071.
For violent crime, too, Erlangen with 167 and Fürth with 189 cases per 100,000 inhabitants lead, ahead of Mülheim an der Ruhr with 207 and Jena with 214. These figures are below the German average of 254.
That smaller municipalities often have lower figures is shown by the statistics by size of municipality. In municipalities with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, the police recorded 3,667 cases per 100,000 inhabitants nationwide in 2025, in municipalities with 20,000 to under 100,000 inhabitants 6,323, in cities with 100,000 to under 500,000 inhabitants 9,153.
What role does the federal state play?
In 2025, Bavaria had the lowest frequency rate of all federal states with 4,371 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Baden-Württemberg with 4,902 and Rhineland-Palatinate with 5,427. Bavaria with 164 and Baden-Württemberg with 176 also lead for violent crime. The figures are highest in the city states of Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg.
Among the large cities, this shows only in part. The three Bavarian large cities, Munich, Augsburg and Nuremberg, are all among the first four of this ranking. From Baden-Württemberg, Karlsruhe is fifth, while Freiburg im Breisgau and Mannheim are 21st and 22nd, in the middle of the 39 cities.
The state alone therefore does not explain a city’s figure. In Hesse, Wiesbaden is sixth among the cities with the fewest cases and Frankfurt am Main last. How the large cities with the highest figures should be read is explained on the page about the most recorded offences in Germany’s large cities.
Which large cities have the fewest burglaries and pickpocketing cases?
The police recorded burglaries least often in 2025 in Augsburg with 35 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, in Munich with 54, in Dresden with 57 and in Nuremberg with 59. They were most frequent in Essen with 302 and Berlin with 288. Daytime burglaries and attempted burglaries are included.
For pickpocketing, the order looks different. The lowest figures were in Halle (Saale) with 19, Augsburg with 28 and Magdeburg with 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, although Halle and Magdeburg are among the cities with the highest figures for all offences. The police recorded the most pickpocketing per inhabitant in Düsseldorf with 734 and Hamburg with 620.
For street crime, meaning offences on public streets, paths and squares and on public transport, Stuttgart with 1,074, Augsburg with 1,139 and Munich with 1,178 cases per 100,000 inhabitants had the lowest figures. Which city comes first therefore depends on which offences you look at.
How reliable is a ranking based on the crime statistics?
The Police Crime Statistics only count what becomes known to the police. The Federal Criminal Police Office points out that a large share of offences committed never become known and that reporting behaviour varies greatly by offence. A city with low figures can therefore also be a city where offences are reported less often.
The frequency rate relates all offences only to residents. Where many commuters and visitors are around, it can be higher without the risk for local people being greater, and vice versa. From 2024 to 2025, the number of recorded cases fell by 2.8 percent in Munich and by 12.0 percent in Augsburg, while it rose by 2.5 percent in Nuremberg.
Such a ranking is therefore a snapshot of the light field and not a judgement about a city. How safe Germany is compared with other states is shown by the Global Peace Index and the page on the most peaceful countries. This page will be updated with the next edition of the crime statistics.
Federal Criminal Police Office, crime statistics analyses and dark field research, translated
A large share of the offences committed, however, never becomes known to the police.
Sources
- Federal Criminal Police Office: Police Crime Statistics 2025, city tables (German)
- Federal Criminal Police Office: Police Crime Statistics 2025, state tables (German)
- Federal Criminal Police Office: Police Crime Statistics 2025, federal frequency rates (German)
- Eurostat: Perception survey on the quality of life in European cities
- Federal Criminal Police Office: dark field research (German)
- Police crime prevention of the German states and the federal government (German)
All large cities by recorded offences in 2025, from the lowest figure
| Rank | City | Federal state | Offences per 100,000 inhabitants | Violent crime per 100,000 inhabitants | Burglaries per 100,000 inhabitants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Munich | Bavaria | 6,061 | 309 | 54 |
| 2 | Augsburg | Bavaria | 6,464 | 301 | 35 |
| 3 | Mainz | Rhineland-Palatinate | 6,600 | 263 | 91 |
| 4 | Nuremberg | Bavaria | 7,206 | 329 | 59 |
| 5 | Karlsruhe | Baden-Württemberg | 7,407 | 269 | 113 |
| 6 | Wiesbaden | Hesse | 7,554 | 382 | 210 |
| 7 | Dresden | Saxony | 7,781 | 342 | 57 |
| 8 | Bielefeld | North Rhine-Westphalia | 8,041 | 459 | 83 |
| 9 | Braunschweig | Lower Saxony | 8,069 | 335 | 105 |
| 10 | Oberhausen | North Rhine-Westphalia | 8,109 | 323 | 183 |
| 11 | Rostock | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 8,319 | 350 | 75 |
| 12 | Bochum | North Rhine-Westphalia | 8,538 | 313 | 240 |
| 13 | Bonn | North Rhine-Westphalia | 8,593 | 381 | 197 |
| 14 | Stuttgart | Baden-Württemberg | 8,797 | 457 | 73 |
| 15 | Gelsenkirchen | North Rhine-Westphalia | 8,939 | 450 | 227 |
| 16 | Essen | North Rhine-Westphalia | 9,013 | 343 | 302 |
| 17 | Krefeld | North Rhine-Westphalia | 9,040 | 365 | 159 |
| 18 | Lübeck | Schleswig-Holstein | 9,162 | 363 | 77 |
| 19 | Mönchengladbach | North Rhine-Westphalia | 9,171 | 373 | 162 |
| 20 | Chemnitz | Saxony | 9,270 | 437 | 83 |
| 21 | Freiburg im Breisgau | Baden-Württemberg | 9,631 | 347 | 81 |
| 22 | Mannheim | Baden-Württemberg | 9,813 | 324 | 109 |
| 23 | Wuppertal | North Rhine-Westphalia | 9,885 | 506 | 151 |
| 24 | Kiel | Schleswig-Holstein | 9,957 | 408 | 82 |
| 25 | Münster | North Rhine-Westphalia | 10,069 | 372 | 131 |
| 26 | Duisburg | North Rhine-Westphalia | 10,395 | 443 | 203 |
| 27 | Leipzig | Saxony | 10,722 | 402 | 104 |
| 28 | Aachen | North Rhine-Westphalia | 10,726 | 340 | 179 |
| 29 | Erfurt | Thuringia | 11,067 | 402 | 96 |
| 30 | Hamburg | Hamburg | 11,196 | 457 | 152 |
| 31 | Dortmund | North Rhine-Westphalia | 11,446 | 588 | 239 |
| 32 | Magdeburg | Saxony-Anhalt | 11,569 | 496 | 193 |
| 33 | Cologne | North Rhine-Westphalia | 12,727 | 539 | 231 |
| 34 | Halle (Saale) | Saxony-Anhalt | 12,824 | 519 | 141 |
| 35 | Hanover | Lower Saxony | 12,849 | 622 | 185 |
| 36 | Düsseldorf | North Rhine-Westphalia | 12,999 | 499 | 249 |
| 37 | Bremen | Bremen | 13,559 | 534 | 171 |
| 38 | Berlin | Berlin | 13,642 | 537 | 288 |
| 39 | Frankfurt am Main | Hesse | 15,026 | 691 | 176 |
Source: Federal Criminal Police Office, Police Crime Statistics 2025, table of cities with 100,000 inhabitants or more. The 39 cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants are included. The frequency rate gives the cases known to the police per 100,000 inhabitants, based on the 2022 census. Burglaries include daytime burglaries.
More in this series
- The safest cities in the worldSafe Cities Index 2021Copenhagen leads the Safe Cities Index 2021, just ahead of Toronto and Singapore. What the index measures, in which European cities people feel safest and where the police in Germany record the fewest offences
- The most dangerous cities in GermanyPolice Crime Statistics 2025Frankfurt am Main, Berlin and Bremen had the most recorded offences per inhabitant of all large German cities in 2025. All 39 cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants compared, with violent crime, federal states, the change from the previous year and a guide to reading the figures
More questions about large cities with little recorded crime
Which is the safest large city in Germany?
Measured by recorded offences per inhabitant, it is Munich. The police recorded 91,219 cases there in 2025, which is 6,061 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among the cities with more than one million inhabitants, Cologne with 12,727, Hamburg with 11,196 and Berlin with 13,642 are considerably higher.
Even without offences against residence and asylum law, which the statistics show separately, Munich stays in first place with 5,798 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, ahead of Augsburg with 6,202 and Mainz with 6,474.
Which large city has the most recorded offences?
The highest figure in 2025 was in Frankfurt am Main with 15,026 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, ahead of Berlin with 13,642 and Bremen with 13,559. Part of the Frankfurt figure comes from offences against residence law that the Federal Police detect at the airport.
The complete ranking from the top, with the change from the previous year and a reading guide on Frankfurt, is on the page about the large cities with the most recorded offences.
Do people in Munich also feel safe?
The crime statistics measure offences, not feelings. The European survey on the quality of life in cities from 2023 gives an indication of how safe people feel. There, 76.5 percent of respondents in Munich said they feel safe walking alone at night in their city, 76.7 percent in Rostock, 73.5 percent in Hamburg, 65.3 percent each in Essen and Leipzig and 58.8 percent in Berlin.
The survey and the statistics point in a similar direction but do not match. Rostock is 11th among the cities with the fewest cases in the crime statistics and just ahead of Munich for the feeling of safety. How cities in Europe and worldwide compare is shown on the page about the safest cities worldwide.
Is a city with few recorded offences a safe travel destination?
This page does not give travel advice. A low frequency rate describes a whole city over a year and does not say what things are like in a particular place at a particular time. Pickpocketing and burglary happen there too.
Practical advice on protecting yourself against theft and burglary is provided by the police crime prevention programme of the German states and the federal government. For travel abroad, the travel and safety advice of the German Federal Foreign Office is the reliable basis.
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