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Germany faces record high of 1.1 million unfinished criminal proceedings
The German Judges Association has reported a record high in unfinished criminal proceedings, with more than 1.1 million cases remaining open across the country as of mid-2026. This represents a 13 percent increase compared to June 2025 and a 56 percent rise since the end of 2020.
New cases are also surging; over 2.7 million new proceedings were reported to public prosecutor's offices in the first half of 2026, an increase of approximately 52,000 over the previous year. Total incoming cases for the full year are projected to exceed 5 million.
Regional data shows significant variations in the backlog. In North Rhine-Westphalia, unfinished cases exceeded 300,000, while Brandenburg reported over 43,100 open cases. Schleswig-Holstein saw a notable 43 percent increase in unfinished proceedings between June 2025 and June 2026. In Hamburg, the number of unfinished cases rose by 20 percent to 77,757.
In response to the growing workload, the federal government and German states have agreed on a rule of law pact. This initiative aims to create 2,000 additional judicial positions for judges and prosecutors to address the procedural backlog.
Entities
Benjamin Grimm · Brandenburg · German Association of Judges · German Judges Association · Germany · North Rhine-Westphalia · Sven Rebehn
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] More than 2.7 million new cases were received by public prosecutor's offices in the first half of 2026. www.ruhrnachrichten.de · www.stimberg-zeitung.de
- [● 6 SOURCES] The total number of incoming cases for the full year is expected to exceed 5 million. www.ruhrnachrichten.de · www.stimberg-zeitung.de · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.nn.de · www.recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de
- [● 7 SOURCES] There were 709,367 open criminal proceedings at the end of 2020. www.ruhrnachrichten.de · www.stimberg-zeitung.de · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.nn.de · +1 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] More than 1.1 million criminal cases remained unprocessed in Germany at the end of the first half of 2026. www.ruhrnachrichten.de · www.stimberg-zeitung.de
- [● 8 SOURCES] The number of open cases increased by 13 percent compared to June 30, 2025. www.ruhrnachrichten.de · www.stimberg-zeitung.de · berliner-abendblatt.de · www.zeit.de · www.halternerzeitung.de · +3 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] More than 2.7 million new cases were reported to German public prosecutor's offices in the first half of 2026. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.nn.de · berliner-abendblatt.de · www.zeit.de · www.radiobrocken.de · +5 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Unfinished cases in Brandenburg rose to over 43,100 by mid-2026. berliner-abendblatt.de
- [● 10 SOURCES] More than 1.1 million criminal proceedings remain unfinished across Germany as of mid-2026. berliner-abendblatt.de · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.halternerzeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.nn.de · +5 more
- [● 9 SOURCES] The number of unfinished cases in Germany increased by 13 percent compared to June 2025. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.nn.de · berliner-abendblatt.de · www.zeit.de · www.halternerzeitung.de · +1 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] The number of unfinished cases in Schleswig-Holstein increased by approximately 43 percent between June 2025 and June 2026. www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.nn.de · berliner-abendblatt.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The federal government and states have agreed on a new rule of law pact to create 2,000 additional judicial positions. berliner-abendblatt.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Brandenburg plans to use the new budget to create more positions, primarily in public prosecutor's offices. berliner-abendblatt.de