Spain's hate crimes hit record high in 2025, rising 23.6% with racism and homophobia as leading motives

Hate crimes in Spain reached an all-time high in 2025, according to the 'Informe sobre la evolución de los delitos e incidentes de odio en España 2025' presented by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The report recorded 2,417 penal infractions and hate incidents, a 23.6% increase from the previous year and the highest number since the statistical series began in 2014.

National overview and key drivers

Racism and xenophobia were the most frequent motives, accounting for 934 incidents. Crimes related to sexual orientation and gender identity followed with 571 incidents, while ideology-based offenses totaled 241. The most dramatic percentage increase was in Islamophobia, which surged by 133%. The most common types of offenses were threats (446) and physical injuries (441), followed by incitement to discrimination (319).

Regional disparities

Melilla recorded the highest rate in the country at 21.89 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Navarra (15.65) and Ceuta (10.77). The Basque Country and Asturias both registered a rate of 7.01. Cantabria saw one of the sharpest increases, jumping 54.55% to a rate of 5.72. Castilla y León experienced a 46.2% rise to 136 infractions, with Segovia posting the highest provincial rate nationally at 22.09 per 100,000 inhabitants. The Balearic Islands recorded a 29.4% increase to 66 incidents. Andalusia, despite a rise to 295 known incidents, remained the region with the lowest rate at 3.40 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Victim and perpetrator profile

Nationally, 62.34% of victims were men, with the largest age group being 26 to 40 years old (33.22%). Spanish nationals made up 60.46% of victims. Among foreign victims, who represented 39.54%, the largest groups originated from Africa (16.16%), with Moroccans accounting for 9.98%, and from the Americas (15.65%), primarily Colombians (4.32%) and Venezuelans (2.22%).

Contrast with legal protections

Spain's record hate crime figures stand in contrast to its top ranking on the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map 2026, where it scored 89% for legal protections and public policies for the LGTBI community. A separate report, 'Estado del Odio LGTBI+ 2026' by FELGTBI+, indicates that public harassment prevalence rose from 20% in 2024 to 36%, while explicit violence surged from 7% to 22%. The report suggests official Interior Ministry data may be undercounted due to systemic under-detection.

Andalusia in focus

In Andalusia, 295 hate incidents were recorded, with 102 related to racism and xenophobia and 75 to sexual orientation. The region saw 104 arrests, including 40 for sexual orientation motives and 19 for racism. Authorities solved 200 cases. Sevilla led the region with 73 incidents, followed by Málaga (66) and Cádiz (40).