Record
Mid-Year
Figures
Sharp Rise in Demand for Information on Victims of Nazi Persecution
The Arolsen Archives have released their mid-year figures: 80 years after the end of the war, the archive on victims of Nazi persecution is being used more intensively than ever — all over the world, across generations, and increasingly in digital form.
- As of mid-2025, around 433,000 people have used the online archive of the Arolsen Archives to search for information about victims of Nazi persecution. That is an increase of 27 percent compared to the same period in 2024.
- The Arolsen Archives have received 30 percent more inquiries than in the previous year.
- The number of #everynamecounts volunteers has also increased dramatically.
More and more people are using the Arolsen Archives as a key source of information about victims of Nazi persecution. In the first half of 2025, the archive saw a sharp increase in uptake of all services. More than 433,000 people used the online archive for research — 27 percent more than in the first six months of the previous year. The online archive is the central digital portal to the historical documents, where users can conduct independent research in documents with information on around 17.5 million people.
The Arolsen Archives also continue to receive a high volume of individual inquiries. By the end of June 2025, approximately 13,700 inquiries had been submitted — an increase of about 30 percent compared to the same period last year. Notably only 0.3 percent of such inquiries come from survivors themselves, while around 80 percent are submitted by relatives from the second, third, and fourth generations.
Unexpectedly Sharp Rise in Use of All Digital Services
But the documents themselves are not the only focus of interest. The Arolsen Archives are reporting record figures for all their digital services. “We are seeing a huge wave of support for our crowdsourcing project #everynamecounts,” comments Floriane Azoulay, Director of the Arolsen Archives. “More than 100,000 people around the world have already volunteered their time this year to help make the knowledge held in the archive more visible. In doing so, they are taking a stand – and becoming witnesses themselves.”
The number of volunteers helping to digitize historical documents has increased by an impressive 400% compared to the previous year. Around 370,000 people have taken part since the project was launched in 2020. The website is also seeing record traffic: more than 465,000 people visited the site in the first half of 2025 – a 64% increase over the same period last year.
“The growing interest in the Arolsen Archives has a lot to do with our strong presence on social media,” says Floriane Azoulay. “We address the questions that matter to young people and focus on important issues like exclusion and group-based hatred. In light of recent global developments, these topics have become painfully relevant once again. Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, one thing is clear: the reasons for persecution are not a thing of the past.”
Press photos
The following photos may be used in connection with publications about the Arolsen Archives, provided the photo credit is given. Changes to the images are not permitted.
Please send us a specimen copy or a short note with a link to the online publication. For further motifs or higher resolutions, please contact our press office.
