Hate crimes targeting Sikh Americans in US rose 3,700% in a decade: FBI report

Hate crimes targeting Sikh Americans in the United States have risen over the past decade, increasing by about 3,700%, according to preliminary FBI data cited by Axios.The figures show anti-Sikh incidents jumped from just six cases in 2015 to 228 in 2025.The data also suggests shifts in hate crime patterns across the US, even as overall incidents declined in the most recent year.Overall hate crime cases fell 11% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to analysis by Brian Levin of the California Association of Human Relations Organizations. However, he said certain groups saw major spikes based on changing political and social conditions.“Whoever is the target of a particular sticky type of stereotype, particularly a fear-inducing one, you’ll see that particular group spike,” hate crime expert Brian Levin told Axios.Despite the overall decline, anti-Sikh hate crimes remained among the most notable increases over the decade, alongside rising incidents targeting Latino and transgender communities.Anti-Latino hate crimes rose 18% in 2025 to a record 1,014 incidents, marking the first time the group ranked among the top three most targeted categories in 34 years of FBI data tracking.The report also included mixed trends across other categories. Anti-Jewish hate crimes fell 29% in 2025, while anti-transgender hate crimes dipped 6% but remained at historically high levels, nearly double their long-term average.Levin said that 2025 was still the fifth-highest year for recorded hate crimes in the FBI’s 34-year dataset. He also said overall hate crimes are up 88% compared with 2015, even though final figures may change as more agencies submit data.The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer has paused monthly updates while preparing its annual national report, meaning the current figures are still preliminary.Levin added that spikes in hate crimes often follow major events such as elections, international conflicts or terror attacks, and tend not to return to previous lows once they subside. Instead, they settle at higher long-term levels, leaving an elevated baseline of incidents.