Hate crimes in the United States surged 11.6 percent in 2021, with the largest number motivated by bias against Black people, followed by crimes targeting victims for ethnicity, sexuality and religion, the FBI said in a report.

The FBI said reported hate crime incidents rose to 9,065 in 2021 from 8,120 in 2020.

The bureau said 64.5 percent of hate crime victims in 2021 were targeted because of their race, ethnicity or ancestry bias, while 15.9 percent were targeted because of sexual-orientation and 14.1 percent due to religion.

The largest number, some 2,233 incidents, were motivated by anti-African American bias, the report found. (Reuters)