Washington— Hate crimes targeting Sikhs in the United States have witnessed a sharp long-term rise, increasing by an estimated 3,800 per cent over the past decade, according to preliminary data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation cited by Axios.
The data shows reported anti-Sikh incidents rose dramatically from just six cases in 2015 to 228 cases in 2025, reflecting a concerning escalation in targeted violence against the community.
Despite an 11 per cent decline in overall hate crime incidents in 2025 compared to the previous year, the broader trend over the decade points upward. Total hate crime cases in the US have increased by around 88 per cent since 2015, suggesting that long-term patterns of bias-driven violence remain deeply entrenched.
Experts highlight that such crimes do not rise uniformly across communities. Hate crime researcher Brian Levin noted that spikes often occur when fear-driven stereotypes or misinformation target specific groups.
Sikhs are now among the most affected religious minorities in the country. A 2025 report by the Sikh Coalition ranked Sikhs as the third most targeted religious group in 2024, after Jewish and Muslim communities.
The report also pointed out that Sikh identity has only recently been tracked separately in federal hate crime data, raising concerns that earlier incidents may have been underreported.
Other communities have also seen notable increases over the decade. Anti-transgender hate crimes rose by 395 per cent, anti-Latino incidents by 239 per cent, and anti-Asian cases by 195 per cent. Anti-Jewish incidents increased by 123 per cent, while anti-Black and anti-white hate crimes rose by 66 per cent and 51 per cent respectively. Anti-gay male incidents recorded the smallest rise at 27 per cent.
Analysts warn that while annual figures may fluctuate, the sustained rise in identity-based violence underscores gaps in prevention, reporting systems, and law enforcement response.
The findings are expected to reignite debate over strengthening hate crime tracking, improving community protection measures, and addressing the social factors driving such incidents.
