Foreign nationals behind crime surge in Austria – data

Non-citizens accounted for nearly 50% of offenses last year, according to police statistics

Nearly half of all crimes in Austria last year involved foreign suspects, with a significant rise among young Syrians, according to the latest police statistics.

In 2024, Austria recorded more than half a million criminal offenses – a 1.2% rise from the previous year – data released by the Interior Ministry on Monday shows. Of the nearly 336,000 suspects identified, 46.8% were foreign nationals.

According to the statistics, more than 150,000 suspects did not hold Austrian citizenship. Among foreign nationals, individuals from Romania, Germany, and Syria were most frequently identified. The number of Syrian suspects, now exceeding 11,000, rose by around 30% compared to 2023.

Youth crime also saw a significant uptick, particularly among those 10-14. Since 2020, reported offenses in this age group have nearly doubled. Foreign nationals accounted for 48% of the young suspects, with Syrians showing a 35% increase in reported offenses from the previous year.

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In response, the Austrian government has proposed stricter measures, including mandatory counseling for minors, case conferences for repeat offenders, and specialized residential communities with temporary mandatory stays under judicial oversight.

Austria was home to nearly 100,000 Syrian refugees as of early 2024. Following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December, Austria, along with several other EU countries, paused pending asylum applications from Syrians to reassess the situation.

In addition, Austria has halted family reunifications and issued at least 2,400 notices to revoke refugee status.

Germany faces a similar issue, with 41% of crime suspects in 2023 being non-German nationals, despite foreigners comprising only around 15% of the population.

In response, the German authorities have pledged to enhance integration efforts and expedite the deportation of foreign offenders. 

Anti-immigration sentiment in Austria has gained traction following a stabbing attack in February, in which a 14-year-old boy was killed and five other people were injured by a Syrian asylum seeker.

The Austrian authorities said it was an “Islamist attack,” and that the 23-year-old suspect was radicalized online “in a short space of time.”