MONTREAL (JTA) — Canadian Jews for a third straight year were the most targeted minority group for hate crimes in the country, thought there was a 4 percent decrease.

The data for crimes reported to police in 2018 was released on Monday by Statistics Canada. The number of incidents dropped to 345 from 360 in 2017.

Other minorities saw more significant declines. Hate crimes against Muslims fell 50 percent, to 173, and blacks saw a 15 percent drop to 283.

In 2018, Canadian police responded to 1,798 hate crimes, compared to 2,073 in 2017.

“We are encouraged to see an overall decline in hate crimes, [but] this data confirms the persistence of Jew hatred, which is seeing an alarming global rise,” Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel said.

The numbers show that hate crimes against Jews remain an “urgent concern,” B’nai Brith Canada President Michael Mostyn said.