An higher proportion of foreigners in Germany does not lead to a higher crime rate, a research institute said on Tuesday, five days ahead of an election in which violent attacks linked to migrants have pushed security to the top of the agenda.

In an analysis of police statistics from 2018 to 2023, the Ifo institute found "no correlation between an increasing proportion of foreigners in a district and the local crime rate", researcher Jean-Victor Alipour said, adding that this also applied to refugees.