The study was based on the International Crime Survey of 1989 and the first German-German victimization survey of 1990. The findings show higher victimization rates in almost all surveyed crime categories (traffic crimes, bicycle theft, burglary, and contact crimes) in the northern Federal Lander of Schleswig-Holstein and Nerdeersachsen compared with the southern Lander of Baden-Wurttemberg and Bayern. This was also true for the new Federal Lander (formerly East Germany). The study shows as well a regional gradient in East and West Germany, not only concerning crime distribution, but also a number of other variables. The number of traffic accidents, the number of civil court cases, the rate of unemployment, the gross domestic product, gross monthly income, and many other variables showed unfavorable ratings in these two parts of Germany. Similar analyses of the differential regional crime for Spain and France also show that the crime level is dependent on sociopolitical factors. Thus, the study found that the social burden (e.g., welfare, educational grade, and migration rate) and the economic status -- as measured by gross domestic product, unemployment rate, and other economic variables -- influence the development of criminality. 2 figures, 3 tables, and 36 references