Austria Records Rise in Hate Crimes as New Data Exposes Patterns of Prejudice
Austria has begun systematically recording hate crimes, revealing that prejudice linked to national origin and ideology is the most common motive behind such offenses. Since May 12, prosecutors have been required to categorize bias-motivated crimes in detail under a directive issued by Justice Minister Anna Sporrer. The new system obliges authorities to register the specific prejudice driving each case.
According to data released in response to an inquiry, crimes motivated by national or ethnic origin top the list, with 115 convictions and 307 indictments. Close behind are offenses driven by hostility toward Western democratic values, accounting for 44 convictions and 151 indictments. Hate crimes targeting Jewish people were also especially frequent in 2025.
Last year, prosecutors filed 114 indictments for offenses motivated by anti-Jewish prejudice. In addition, 430 cases were dismissed and 17 resolved through diversion. Courts handed down 71 convictions in cases involving crimes against Jews, while 11 defendants were acquitted. Officials cautioned that it is not possible to determine whether the increase is directly linked to the renewed Middle East conflict following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, as no comparable earlier data exists.
Crimes against Muslims led to 42 indictments and resulted in 11 convictions, while two cases involving anti-Christian bias produced one conviction. Overall, hate crimes represent slightly more than one percent of all cases handled by prosecutors, totaling 5,297 out of more than 501,000 proceedings since the data collection began.
Ideological hostility toward Western democracy was the single most frequently recorded motive overall, followed closely by ethnic origin and anti-Jewish prejudice. Cases driven by racism based on skin color resulted in 49 indictments and 18 convictions. Smaller numbers involved crimes against homeless people, individuals with disabilities, and elderly victims.
Attacks based on sexual orientation rose after a wave of assaults earlier this year, with 35 indictments involving gay victims. By contrast, cases linked to gender identity remained relatively rare, though authorities stress that hate crimes continue to be a persistent reality in Austria.
