Racism in Germany

Fatma works as a teacher in Berlin. The discrimination starts when she drives to work in the morning, she says. “Other drivers look at me with interest.” She is dressed fashionably, elegantly, and wears a headscarf. “The teacher at the teacher training center told me that the headscarf is not hygienic.” Fatma says she graduated from school with “very good” marks. But it is still not easy for her to find a job. And this despite the fact that teachers are urgently needed – in Berlin and throughout Germany. She feels that the headscarf is a disadvantage for her. “It makes me sad. It leaves an impression on me.”

Hanna also lives in Berlin. “I don’t dare go to certain neighborhoods.” When she takes the subway with her children, she says, she regularly hears what she calls “idiotic comments” because of the children and their dark hair. “People tell me I should go back to my country.” Hanna sees the hurt in such hostility, especially when it happens in front of children. If, as a journalist in Berlin, you want to talk about racism in Germany, with women about their experiences, examples come from all sides.

“Experiences of discrimination do not happen by chance, but are usually based on racist attributions,” explains Aylin Mengi from the German Center for Integration and Migration Research. She is co-author of the Racism Monitor published by the German Center for Integration and Migration Research. The researchers surveyed almost 10 people across the country. It is one of the most comprehensive surveys of data on racism and discrimination in Germany.

The results of the current report from March 2025 show that people who are seen by others as migrants or Muslims are particularly affected – regardless of whether they are actually migrants or not. Some because they wear a headscarf, like Fatma. Or because of their skin color. Or because, like Hanna, they have dark hair. More than half of racially distinct people experience daily discrimination, at least once a month.

Muslim women and people of color are particularly affected: According to the report's findings, over 60 percent of them have regularly experienced discrimination in their daily lives. "We see that experiences of discrimination are unevenly distributed in German society," explains Cihan Sinanoğlu, head of the Racism Monitor, in an interview with DW. "And we see that racism in Germany is becoming more covert and conforming to social norms." The view that ethnic and religious minorities make too many political demands is still widespread in most societies, says Sinanoğlu, summarizing the results. "This shows that certain social groups are still being denied political rights."

In Germany, people who have experienced discrimination face a majority society in which racism is an integral part of it. “More than a fifth of the total German population has pronounced racist attitudes,” explains Cihan Sinanoğlu.

Experiences of prejudice and exclusion have far-reaching consequences, explains the head of the study, based on the results: “Anxiety and depressive disorders increase the more experiences of discrimination and racism we have. And trust in social institutions decreases the greater the extent of experiences of discrimination.” The authors of the study criticize that social racism is too often dismissed as a minor issue by political parties in Germany. “We live in a post-migrant society: every third family in Germany has relations with migrants,” analyzes Naika Foroutan, head of the research center, in the presentation of the data monitor. “Discriminatory experiences do not remain only with the affected people, but also affect a large part of society.”

Naika Foroutan reminds us that we should not forget something else in the debate about racism in Germany: "There is a broad majority against racism in Germany. People want to learn about others. And they are not tired of being informed about racism."

Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination Ferda Ataman sees the results of the monitoring as a mandate for politicians. "We have one of the weakest anti-discrimination laws in Germany. The study clearly shows that people need to be better protected," Ataman said in an interview with DW. She is addressing this request primarily to the next federal government, which is currently being negotiated between the conservatives and the Social Democrats in Berlin. /DW/