Minorities in Germany face widespread racism: survey

More than half of people in Germany who identify as part of an ethnic or religious minority regularly experience racial discrimination, according to a study released on Thursday, reported dpa.

A representative survey of German residents conducted by the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor showed that 54% of respondents who said they are perceived as ethnic minorities reported facing racial discrimination.

Among black respondents, 62% of men and 63% of women said they had experienced discrimination in daily life at least once a month over the past year.

In more than four out of five cases, they believed their skin colour was the primary reason.

A similarly high percentage of Muslim women (61%) reported facing discrimination at least once a month in the survey, which was conducted between August 2024 and January 2025.

By comparison, 32% of people who say they are not perceived by others as belonging to ethnic minorities reported experiencing discrimination at least once a month over the past year — often due to factors such as gender, age, or other personal characteristics.

The study also found that 23% of the German population believe ethnic and religious minorities demand too much in terms of equality, while 22% of the roughly 9,500 respondents aged 18 to 73 felt these groups had benefited economically more than they should have in recent years.

According to the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), the country's recent federal election campaign has deepened social divisions.

The organization's chairman, Gökay Sofuoglu, said this week: "For people with a migration background, the ongoing negative discourse on migration and diversity — driven by right-wing extremist forces — is the biggest stress test in recent history."