While the number of reported rapes in North Rhine-Westphalia—Germany’s most populous city—increased 25% in 2022 compared to the previous year, the number of rapes involving more than one perpetrator jumped by 43%.
In response to an information request by the national-conservative Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, data released by the Ministry of the Interior of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia revealed that 2,949 rapes were reported last year, which corresponds to eight rapes per day and represents an increase of more than 25% compared to the previous year.
The number of rapes involving more than one perpetrator—sometimes referred to as ‘gang rapes’—also rose dramatically across North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, in 2022, climbing from 172 in 2021 to 246 in 2022, a year-over-year increase of 43%, the news outlet RTL Deutschland reports.
