Threats and violence against Asian Americans
Agencies reported 339 anti-Asian incidents and 20 against Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in 2025. Community reporting groups consistently document far more incidents than reach police, especially harassment of older people and women.
What you need to know
- 339 anti-Asian incidents were reported to the FBI in 2025, down from 402 in 2024.
- Anti-Asian bias was about 5.8 percent of race-based hate crime offenses in 2025.
- Spikes follow scapegoating: the pandemic, trade and espionage fears, and economic news.
- Six of the eight people killed in the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings were Asian women.
The official count
| Bias type | Category | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Asian | Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry | 339 | 402 | -63 |
| Anti-Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry | 20 | 34 | -14 |
Counts are incidents reported by agencies that file with the FBI. A lower number can mean fewer agencies reported, not less hate. See every bias type.
Attacks that define the threat
- Mar. 16, 2021 · Atlanta area, Ga.
A gunman killed eight people at three spas. Six were Asian women. The Fulton County prosecutor sought hate crime enhancements.
- 2020 to 2022 · Nationwide
Reported anti-Asian hate crime surged during the COVID-19 pandemic amid blame for the virus.
Terms and signals
Analysts and officers see these in posts, comments and channels. Knowing them lets you read a threat for what it is.
- "Kung flu" and "China virus" as blame
- Pandemic scapegoating aimed at people, not policy.
- Spy and invader framing
- Treating Asian Americans as foreign agents. Watch for calls to act against named people or businesses.
- Fetishizing and misogynist content
- The Atlanta attacker targeted Asian women. Sexualized hate aimed at Asian women is a recognized risk pattern.
A term alone is not a threat. Hateful speech is often legal. NCTIC scores escalation: a specific target, a means, a time, and signs of planning or goodbye messages.
From talk to attack
Scapegoating cycles. Blame for a disease, a war or the economy leads to attacks on people who look like the blamed group.
Elders and small businesses. Attackers have chosen older people on the street and family-run stores and spas.
Report a threat
- Call 911 for anything imminent. Report threats to local police and the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
- In-language reporting matters. Agencies that offer it get more reports.
- Send threats you find to NCTIC at pesach@lattin.us or 505-932-9060. We route each one to the agency with jurisdiction.
Frequently asked
How many anti-Asian hate crimes were reported in 2025?
Agencies reported 339 anti-Asian hate crime incidents to the FBI for 2025, down from 402 in 2024, plus 20 against Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Why do community groups count more anti-Asian incidents than the FBI?
Groups like Stop AAPI Hate take self-reports, including harassment that is not a crime and incidents never reported to police. The FBI counts only crimes agencies report.
Who studies this
NCTIC's analysis draws on official data and the work of these organizations. Listing them does not mean they endorse NCTIC.
Community reporting center for anti-Asian incidents.
Analyzes FBI data and advocates for victims.
How we put this together. Hate crime counts are incidents reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program for 2025, released Aug. 14, 2026, as tabulated by the Arab American Institute; 2024 comparisons use the FBI's updated Crime Data Explorer figures. These counts cover only agencies that report and only incidents that reach police, so they understate the problem, and year-to-year changes partly reflect which agencies filed. Attack summaries draw on court records and news reporting cited below. Watch terms come from NCTIC analysis and public research such as the ADL Hate Symbols database. NCTIC products are analysis and can be wrong.
NCTIC is an independent nonprofit, non-governmental organization. It is not a government agency, does not act under government authority, and does not make or enforce laws.
We take no position on immigration or other policy questions and do not blame threats on any group. Our anchor is simple: the law says no violence against people, whoever they are.