Official Austrian statistics show that foreign nationals accounted for 53 percent of those convicted of raping minors in 2025, a share more than twice their proportion of the population

Justice Minister Anna Sporrer of the Social Democratic Party released the figures in response to a parliamentary inquiry from Freedom Party (FPÖ) MP Harald Schuh. Of 147 people convicted of the offense, 78 held non-Austrian citizenship, or 53.1 percent. Foreign nationals made up roughly 20.2 percent of Austria’s population at the start of 2025, according to Statistik Austria, meaning their conviction rate was about 2.6 times higher than their demographic share.

Among the foreign nationals convicted, Syrian citizens formed the largest group with 18 cases, followed by Afghans with 11. Polish and Romanian nationals each accounted for six convictions, and three involved Iraqi citizens. The data emerged amid broader concern over sexual offenses. The parliamentary question followed the conviction of a 52-year-old Syrian man in Vienna who raped a six-year-old girl and received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

Reported rape cases overall have risen sharply over the past decade. Authorities recorded 826 incidents in 2015 and 1,275 in 2025, an increase of about 54 percent. Of the suspects identified in reported rape cases in the past year, 471 held non-Austrian passports. These figures cover all reported rapes, not only those involving minors.

According to the Justice Ministry, 128 of the 147 people convicted of raping minors are serving prison sentences. In the remaining cases, courts imposed alternative penalties such as fines, suspended sentences, or institutional measures.

FPÖ lawmaker Schuh cautioned against using the statistics for blanket condemnation of all foreigners but arguing that the numbers should alert political leaders to security risks facing women and girls. He called for an immediate halt to asylum applications, stricter criminal penalties, and the systematic deportation of foreign perpetrators of sexual crimes, emphasizing that victim protection must remain the priority regardless of an offender’s origin.