The German Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, removed approximately 36,600 counterfeit Euro banknotes from circulation within Germany during the first half of 2025. These falsified notes had a combined face value of nearly €2.1 million. This represents an 8% increase in the number of counterfeits detected compared to the second half of 2024, according to a statement released Friday.
Calculated per capita, this equates to roughly nine counterfeit banknotes for every 10,000 residents. While the overall number of fakes rose, the distribution varied. There was a marked increase in the prevalence of both €50 and €100 counterfeit notes, while the number of falsified €200 and €500 notes significantly decreased. This shift in distribution meant that the total financial damage remained largely consistent with the preceding six-month period.
Burkhard Balz, a member of the Bundesbank’s executive board responsible for cash-related matters, noted that counterfeiters are increasingly utilizing the more common denominations – €50 and €100 notes – in fraudulent transactions involving high-value goods. The trend indicates a readjustment in tactics employed by those producing and circulating counterfeit currency.