In the EU, more Black people feel discriminated against because of their origin and skin color. Surveys conducted in 13 EU countries have shown that the problem is greatest in Germany and has increased in recent years.

Problem of Racism in Germany is the Biggest

In the EU, more Black people feel discriminated against because of their origin and skin color. Surveys conducted in 13 EU countries have shown that the problem is greatest in Germany and has increased in recent years.

According to an EU study, the problem of racism against Black people in Germany has significantly increased in the past five years. Among the 13 member states where the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) conducted surveys for the study, Germany performed the worst.

According to the study, 76 percent of participants with African roots in Germany stated that they had explicitly been victims of racism because of their origin and skin color in the past five years.

The current FRA report shows that only Austria has a similar high percentage with 72 percent, followed by Finland with a value of 63 percent. The study lists the lowest survey values for the past five years in Poland (20 percent) and Sweden (25 percent).

45 percent experience discrimination

On average across all 13 EU countries examined in the study, 45 percent of respondents stated that they had been discriminated against in the past five years because of their origin, skin color, or religion. In the previous study, the average share was 39 percent.

Approximately 6,750 participants’ responses were included in the survey. The FRA conducted the surveys between October 2021 and October 2022 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Spain.

In November 2018, the FRA published its second report on Black people’s experiences in the EU, based on data from 2016. At that time, 52 percent of respondents in Germany stated that they had been verbally or physically discriminated against in the past five years because of their ethnic or migration background.

Skin color is the main reason for discrimination

With 38 percent, the majority of respondents explicitly stated that they had been discriminated against because of their skin color in the past five years, followed by ethnic or migration background (30 percent) and religion (six percent).

Looking only at the past twelve months, 29 percent of all study participants stated that they had been victims of discriminatory or racist attacks three to five times during this period. 23 percent reported two incidents within one year, and 19 percent stated that they had been victims of discrimination once. 16 percent of respondents reported six or more occurrences, and eleven percent felt “constantly” discriminated against in everyday life.

Disadvantages in job and housing search

When asked in which areas of daily life the respondents felt discriminated against, the highest percentage (34 percent) stated that they felt disadvantaged in their job search. 31 percent reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace. The same percentage of participants reported feeling discriminated against in the past five years when looking for housing.

In Germany, 56 percent of Black people stated that they had been disadvantaged in their job search within five years, according to their own accounts. Only Austria had a higher value at 59 percent. Regarding the search for housing, 74 percent of all respondents in Germany reported discriminatory experiences.

FRA calls for more efforts in the fight against racism

The Director of the FRA, Michael O’Flaherty, spoke of “shocking” survey results. “People of African descent are increasingly being discriminated against solely because of their skin color,” he said, urging, “Racism and discrimination must have no place in our societies.”

The FRA called on the EU and its member states to take measures to “ensure that people of African descent can exercise their rights without racism and discrimination.” This includes imposing deterrent penalties for discrimination and racism and preventing discriminatory practices in institutions and authorities.