Statistics from the Home Office reveal that Welsh police forces logged more than 6,000 hate crimes over the twelve-month period spanning April 2025 through March 2026.
The total figure of 6,157 incidents included 4,098 cases where racial hostility was identified as the motivating factor, representing approximately two-thirds of all recorded offences.
The annual data further broke down offences by additional protected characteristics.
Hostility based on sexual orientation accounted for 1,107 recorded crimes, while disability-motivated offences numbered 648.
Religious hatred was recorded in 325 cases and transgender-targeted crimes totalled 242.
Officials noted that individual offences can be classified under multiple categories, meaning the category totals exceed the overall figure.
The release coincided with the commencement of Hate Crime Awareness Week across the United Kingdom.
Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams commented that the statistics demonstrated hate crime continued to affect numerous individuals across Wales.
She acknowledged that significant underreporting likely meant the true scale of the problem remained larger than official figures suggested.
Her office indicated that collaborative efforts with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies aimed to reduce barriers preventing victims from coming forward and to build public confidence in the reporting process.
She affirmed the government’s commitment to opposing prejudice and hatred in all manifestations.
National data covering England and Wales documented 146,825 hate crimes during the same period.
When comparing year-on-year figures, the Home Office omitted statistics from the Metropolitan Police due to modifications in that force’s recording methodology.
On that adjusted basis, recorded hate crime increased by 7 percent to 123,957 offences.
The exclusion of Metropolitan data also revealed that racially and religiously aggravated offences reached their highest levels since systematic records commenced in 2012.
The full combined dataset, including the Metropolitan force, showed offences targeting Muslim communities rose to 5,132, representing a 15 percent increase, while crimes motivated by anti-Jewish sentiment climbed to 3,162, up by 10 percent.
Conversely, hate crimes based on sexual orientation decreased by 1 percent, disability-motivated offences fell by 5 percent, and transgender-targeted crimes declined by 4 percent across both nations.
Comparable year-on-year analysis specific to Wales alone was not made available in the published figures.
Challenge Commander Claire Smart, who serves as hate crime lead at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, stated that law enforcement faced challenges extending beyond reactive responses to reported incidents.
She explained that understanding underlying causes, recognising community tensions at early stages, engaging constructively with partner organisations and local populations, and preventing escalation into more severe criminality represented key priorities.
She emphasised that victims and witnesses required assurance that they would receive respectful treatment and appropriate support throughout any engagement with the justice system.
Williams directly appealed to those who might witness hate crimes, describing their potential contribution as vital in assisting victims to exercise control over subsequent proceedings.
She suggested that witness testimony could prove decisive in achieving appropriate outcomes.
Becca Rosenthal, who manages the Wales Hate Support Centre operated by Victim Support, observed that affected individuals frequently attempted to manage situations independently, often because they doubted the usefulness of reporting or worried about being believed.
The centre offers complimentary, private assistance independent of police involvement and can be contacted by telephone on 0300 3031 982 or through the Victim Support website.