Austria hate‑crime report 2025 finds worldview and ethnicity as leading motives

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner presented Austria’s 2025 “Lagebericht Hate Crime”. The report recorded 6,751 hate‑crime offences, virtually unchanged from 2024’s 6,786. The most frequent motives were attacks on worldview (4,009 cases) and on national or ethnic origin (1,523 cases). One‑third of suspects were under 21, and 86% of those investigated were male; 72% held Austrian citizenship.

The majority of offences were committed online (1,917 motives) followed by the public sphere (1,497). Clearance rates rose to 71% from 67% in the previous year, which the minister attributed to intensified police investigations. The most common offence types were violations of the prohibition law (2,939 cases), property damage (1,021), bodily injury (595), incitement (545) and dangerous threats (529). About three‑quarters of hate‑postings online involved prohibition‑law breaches, while one‑fifth targeted public peace. The ministry highlighted work on a forthcoming National Action Plan to combat hate crime, especially among younger offenders.