Around 7.8 billion people live on planet Earth, so it’s quite logical that we can’t all share the same opinions or have the same outlook on life. Still, some resort to violence to make their point. Unfortunately, hate crimes occur every day worldwide because of someone’s affiliation or beliefs.
It seems that more and more people are victims of bias-motivated crimes. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been tracking and monitoring hate crimes since the Hate Crime Statistics Act was passed in 1990. Therefore, the crimes committed because of someone’s race, religion, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation are all included in the FBI’s hate crime statistics.
We should all be aware of the hate crimes that happen around us. The following are the latest hate crime stats that everyone should know. Let’s take a closer look.
Riveting Hate Crime Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- In 2020, there were over 8,050 single-biased crimes
- In 2019, 11 transgender people were fatally injured or shot dead
- Over 230 offenses were categorized as hate crimes against society in 2020
- There were 1,451 hate crime incidents based on gender or sexual orientation in 2020
- Almost 2,930 sexual orientation hate crime offenses occurred in 2020/21 In England and Wales
- In 2020, there were 104 anti-Islamic hate crime incidents
- Over 80% of the European Union LGTBQ people recall school bullying incidents
- In 2019, there were almost 230 victims of gender identity hate crimes
FBI Hate Crime Statistics 2019 and 2020
Since the 1990s, the Federal Bureau of Investigations has been tracking the number of hate crime incidents. The hate crime rate peaked in 2001, with 9,730 incidents. The majority of the following hate crimes were driven by religious or ethnic bias, as the FBI stats on hate crimes show. Let’s go into more detail below.
1. At 61.8%, race and ethnicity are at the top of the list of bias motivation categories for victims of single-bias incidents in 2020.
(The US Department of Justice)
FBI crime statistics show that race, ethnicity, and ancestry were the biggest motives for hate crimes in 2020. Sexual orientation was in second place with 20.0%, followed by religion as motivation with 13.3%. According to disability hate crime statistics, there were 130 registered incidents motivated by disability in 2019.
2. In 2020, 232 offenses were listed as hate crimes against society.
(FBI)
FBI statistics on hate crimes reveal that there were 232 offenses listed as crimes against society in 2020. These crimes include activities such as gambling, sex work, and drug crimes. They usually don’t result in casualties.
3. In 2020, 28.9% of hate crimes happened in or around victims’ houses.
(FBI)
Homes and neighborhoods are not as safe as we think. According to FBI crime stats, 28.9% of hate crime incidents happened in residences or near them. 19.9% of incidents occurred on roads, sidewalks, or in alleys. 4.2% took place in schools/colleges, while 6.5% happened in garages or parking lots.
4. Nearly half of hate crimes were driven by anti-Black or African-American bias.
(BBC News)
Of 4,930 victims of racial or ethnic hate crimes, 48.5% were black, while only 15.7% were anti-white bias victims. Furthermore, as racial hate crime statistics show, 14.1% were victims of anti-Hispanic while 4.4% were victims of anti-Asian bias.
5. Hate crime murders reached their peak in 2019.
(CBS News)
FBI hate crime data show that hate crime murders reached an all-time high in 2019. The federal hate crime statistics report reveals that 51 people were victims of hate-motivated manslaughter, which was 27 more victims than the year before.
6. In 2020, there were 7,750 hate crime offenses categorized as crimes against persons.
(FBI)
More specifically, hate crime statistics by the FBI confirm that over 53% of them were for intimidation, almost 28% were for simple assault, and nearly 18% were for aggravated assault. Moreover, 22 murders and 21 rapes were also reported as hate crimes
7. In 2019, there were 48 more hate-driven aggravated assaults than the previous year.
(VOA News)
According to the FBI hate crime statistics, the Bureau reported 866 in 2019, an increase from the 818 hate assaults the year before. Both years, race and ethnicity were the biggest motives for those assaults.
8. The FBI registered 8,052 single-biased crimes in 2020.
(The US Department of Justice)
The latest stats on single-biased crimes show they are increasing. For instance, in 2020, the number of such crimes was higher by 949 more cases. In particular, in 2019, there were 7,103 single-biased crimes, only to increase to 8,052 single-bias incidents in 2020.
LGBTQ Hate Crime Statistics
Violence in response to someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation is known as a homophobic hate incident. The US hate crime rates show that LGBTQ hate crimes are more common than other hate crimes. Most incidents are recorded as anti-gay. Below are a few terrifying hate crime stats based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
9. In 2020, there were 1,451 hate crime incidents based on gender or sexual orientation.
(Statista)
According to statistics on hate crime, more than 1,400 hate crime incidents recorded in 2020 resulted from anti-LGBTQ violence. The most frequent were the anti-gay hate crimes, with over 670 incidents in 2020.
10. Hate crime incidents targeting LGBTQ people in Germany are growing.
(Reuters)
It’s a pity, but the hate crime percentage is generally increasing. Attacks documented in Germany on those classified as LGBT+ are on the rise. Based on the hate crime data, this number increased by 36% in 2020.
11. Eleven transgender people were fatally injured or shot dead in 2019.
(USA Today)
Since 2013, when the FBI first started recording them, attacks driven by discrimination against transgender and non-binary people have generally increased. As the Human Rights Campaign pointed out, 11 trans people were shot or murdered in 2019. According to transgender hate crimes statistics, the number of incidents based on gender identity increased annually.
12. A survey notes that in four out of seven given scenarios, those aged 18–34 feel pretty uncomfortable around LGBTQ people.
(Time)
In detail, those four scenarios included:
- learning a doctor is LGBTQ
- knowing my child had an LGBT history lesson at school
- learning a family member is LGBT
- having a child in a class with an LGBT teacher
13. There were 1,395 incidents based on sexual orientation in 2019.
(FBI)
Gay hate crime stats show that 1,395 offenses based on sexual orientation were recorded in 2019. Of those crimes, 867 were anti-gay and 142 were anti-lesbian offenses. There were 342 incidents involving a mixed group of anti-gay, lesbian, and trans people. According to hate crime statistics by year graph, 1,395 incidents involved 1,429 victims in 2019.
14. There were 227 victims of gender identity hate crimes in 2019.
(FBI)
When it comes to gender identity, the numbers of hate crime cases are smaller than sexual orientation-driven incidents. According to transgender hate crime statistics, there were 151 anti-transgender incidents and 173 anti-trans offenses in 2019. Only 190 offenders were caught.
15. More than 80% of LGTBQ people from the European Union recall bullying incidents from school days.
(European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights)
Of all the LGBTQ people surveyed by European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 26% said they were violently harassed in the last five years. Trans hate crime statistics show that around three in ten respondents were victims of violent incidents. Almost 60% of victims who suffered violence believe that they were attacked because of the offender’s perception of LGBTQ people.
16. In England and Wales, there were 2,928 sexual orientation hate crime offenses in 2020/21.
(Statista, The Guardian)
Moreover, gay hate crime statistics reveal that from January to August 2021, a minimum of 14,670 homophobic hate crime offenses were reported in the UK. In comparison, during that period in 2020, there were 11,841, and in 2019 — 10,817 such offenses.
Religious Hate Crime Statistics
Religious hate crimes are acts that target an individual, group, business, or institution because of their faith or lack of it. Even the law guaranteeing that we all have the right to uphold our beliefs and express them in peace doesn’t protect us, which is why we’re left to protect ourselves by using high quality stun devices to deter potential attackers.
According to the United States hate crime statistics, incidents based on religion are among the most common incidents. The following are religious hate crime stats recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
17. There was a 14% rise in hate crimes against Jews in 2019.
(Sun Sentinel)
In 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation documented 953 hate crimes against Jews, which was a 14% increase compared to 835 documented hate crime cases the year before. According to hate crime rates, attacks against Jews accounted for 62% of all religious-based hate incidents.
18. The FBI recorded 104 anti-Islamic hate crime incidents in 2020.
(Jewish Virtual Library)
According to Muslim hate crime statistics, 104 anti-Islamic hate crime incidents were recorded of all 1,174 religious-based hate crimes in 2020. Around 124 victims were involved in hate crime incidents that were identified as anti-Islamic.
However, there was a drop of 103 victims compared to the previous year, as hate crime statistics by year show.
19. In 2019, anti-Buddhist incidents were the least common religiously motivated hate incidents.
(Statista)
With just five anti-Buddist incidents in 2019 recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this type of incident was at the bottom of the list. The US hate crime statistics show that there were only six anti-Atheist incidents in 2019. Furthermore, seven Anti-Hindu and anti-Jehovah’s Witnesses incidents were recorded that year.
20. Between 1996 and 2019, the highest number of religious hate crimes was recorded in 2001.
(Jewish Virtual Library)
According to hate crime statistics in the US, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded 1,828 religious hate crimes in 2001, the highest number recorded between 1996 and 2019. That marked a 24% increase in religious hate crimes compared to the previous year, as hate crimes by year graph shows.
Conclusion
These hate crime statistics reveal that the hate crime rate is slightly growing. Even worse is the fact that only recorded crimes are included in the statistics, meaning that the actual number of hate crimes is much higher.
Through the years, racial bias has been most common. Gender bias hate crimes are at the lowest rate. The FBI still hasn’t published statistics about hate crimes in 2020, but we can hope that the numbers will be lower for the year.
People Also Ask
How many hate crimes are committed each year?
In the United States, hate crimes have been increasing in number over the years. In 2020, 8,263 hate crimes were recorded, which was around 949 more than in 2019. The hate crime stats show that most hate crimes were driven by racial, ethnic, religious, and gender identity bias.
How often do hate crimes occur?
The hate crime rate has grown in the last few years. We can’t say precisely how often hate crimes occur, but 7,000 cases were reported annually in the past two years. However, only the crimes that the FBI recorded are included in the statistics, so the actual number of hate crimes is much higher. The rate of hate crimes reached its peak in 2001, with 9,730 incidents.
What is the most common form of a hate crime?
The most common form of hate crime in the United States is an anti-Black hate crime. According to hate crime statistics, African-Americans were the most victimized racial group in the US in 2019, with 2,391 victims. Crimes against them involved intimidation, destruction of property, and different types of assault.
