Overview

• Unresolved cases reached roughly 964,000 by June 30, about 13,000 more than the previous record at the end of 2024, based on a survey of state justice ministries.
• More than 2.7 million new procedures were opened in the first half of 2025, keeping inflows at the elevated levels seen in 2023 and 2024.
• Regional strains vary sharply, with Hamburg’s open caseload nearly tripling since 2021 to 64,404 and North Rhine–Westphalia carrying the largest backlog at nearly 267,000.
• Brandenburg stands out as an exception with open cases falling to around 24,000, while Berlin rose to 54,905 and Baden‑Württemberg edged down to about 76,700.
• The Deutscher Richterbund reports longer processing times and more dismissals, noting the figures cover only Js cases against named suspects published via Deutsche Richterzeitung.