Almost 60,000 far-right extremists in Germany, intelligence agency says

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has published its annual report, stating that right-wing extremists remain the greatest threat to German democracy. Their number increased by more than 8,000 last year to 58,700, of whom 5,600 are considered potentially violent. BfV President Sinan Selen said German democracy is under “practically permanent attack” from both inside and outside, with intelligence activities mainly originating from Russia, China, and Iran.

The increase is largely due to the growth of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose membership rose to 70,000 in 2025. The AfD is holding a party conference in Erfurt this weekend, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt warned of potential violence during protests, urging demonstrators to remain non-violent.

In last year’s federal election, the AfD won 20.8% of the vote and 152 seats in the 630-seat parliament. Ahead of September’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, the party is polling at about 40%, which could give it an overall majority and the chance to form its first state-level government.

The BfV report also notes that far-right groups are increasingly targeting children and young people, recruiting at far-right music shows that reached record attendance. The AfD was designated a right-wing extremist group last year, but that classification was suspended in February after a court challenge. The German foreign ministry defended the move after US officials criticized it.

The report identifies around 26,000 far-right extremists from the “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter” groups, which reject the Federal Republic. Left-wing extremism grew by 4,200 to 42,200, with a significant rise in violence against suspected right-wing extremists and police. The number of individuals involved in Islamism or Islamist terrorism rose slightly to 28,645.