“Racism is not an isolated incident, but a structural risk.” This is the key finding of a comprehensive study on racism in German institutions, conducted by the Research Institute for Social Cohesion (FGZ) and published by the Federal Ministry of the Interior on 13 February 2026.
According to the final report, racial discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, skin colour or religion is evident in all types of public authorities examined. It manifests itself in the individual attitudes of staff members, in official practices and discretionary powers, and in the handling of complaints. Examples of unequal treatment in public authorities include expressed prejudices against foreign nationals, aggressive behaviour, the legal favouring of certain groups of people, and inequalities in the granting of benefits.
In the study, researchers were granted large-scale access to state institutions for the first time: Over a period of three years, they investigated racism in job centres, immigration offices, the police and customs, the judiciary, health, youth and public order offices, as well as in social work. Racist discrimination was found to be present in all types of institutions, albeit in varying forms and intensities. Regional differences in social attitudes and the general climate of opinion were also reflected in administrative practice.
Language as a risk of discrimination
According to the authors, language barriers prove to be a structural risk of discrimination: the study documents that the level of assistance provided during application procedures varies greatly—whilst some applicants are helped proactively, people with limited German language skills are sometimes turned away or told that their lack of language skills is the problem. “If overcoming language barriers depends on the goodwill of individual staff members, language can become a racist barrier,” say the authors.
What those affected report
In an online survey of Muslims, around 80 per cent of respondents stated that they had been subjected to racial discrimination in public authorities; 40 to 50 per cent cited specific experiences at job centres, social welfare offices and immigration authorities. As a result, a large proportion of those affected reported fears of failure, self-doubt and long-term psychological stress, ranging up to persistent anxiety.
Only a small proportion of respondents turn to anti-discrimination bodies. A common reason given is the expectation that a complaint will have no effect anyway.
The study also highlights that discrimination occurs in day-to-day dealings with public authorities, even towards their own employees: 23 to 36 per cent of employees cited their ethnic origin, religion or skin colour as the reason for experiencing discrimination in their working lives.
Recommendations for change
Based on their findings, the researchers call for the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) to be extended to cover the relationship between state institutions and citizens, in order to close gaps in legal protection. The AGG does not currently apply to the actions of public authorities towards people in Germany: anyone discriminated against by a state institution cannot currently invoke the central anti-discrimination law.
They are also calling for independent complaints bodies, anti-racism training and reflection programmes in staff development and management training, as well as greater transparency and accountability in official decisions. Finally, people who may have experienced racial discrimination should be recruited at all hierarchical levels of the civil service.
The study was commissioned as part of the catalogue of measures drawn up by the Cabinet Committee on Combating Right-wing Extremism and Racism in 2021 by the then Federal Government (Merkel IV Cabinet) and funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland (BMI) with six million euros over three years. The Research Institute for Social Cohesion (FGZ) is an interdisciplinary consortium of researchers at eleven locations: eight universities and three non-university institutions. It has existed since 2020, primarily serves as a policy advisory body and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).
For a detailed press release on the study:
How racism manifests in German public authorities: Study published by the FGZ presents findings from the most comprehensive empirical investigation to date on racism in German institutions
The full final report is available at:
https://fgz-risc.de/forschung/inra-studie
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