diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/controller/StatsController.java b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/controller/StatsController.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c735d74a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/controller/StatsController.java
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+package org.raddatz.familienarchiv.controller;
+
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.dto.StatsDTO;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.repository.DocumentRepository;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.repository.PersonRepository;
+import org.springframework.http.ResponseEntity;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestMapping;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;
+
+import lombok.RequiredArgsConstructor;
+
+@RestController
+@RequestMapping("/api/stats")
+@RequiredArgsConstructor
+public class StatsController {
+
+    private final PersonRepository personRepository;
+    private final DocumentRepository documentRepository;
+
+    @GetMapping
+    public ResponseEntity<StatsDTO> getStats() {
+        return ResponseEntity.ok(new StatsDTO(personRepository.count(), documentRepository.count()));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/dto/StatsDTO.java b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/dto/StatsDTO.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dcd26c41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/main/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/dto/StatsDTO.java
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+package org.raddatz.familienarchiv.dto;
+
+/**
+ * Aggregate counts for the dashboard/persons stats bar.
+ */
+public record StatsDTO(long totalPersons, long totalDocuments) {
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/controller/StatsControllerTest.java b/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/controller/StatsControllerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..44228a7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/test/java/org/raddatz/familienarchiv/controller/StatsControllerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+package org.raddatz.familienarchiv.controller;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.config.SecurityConfig;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.repository.DocumentRepository;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.repository.PersonRepository;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.security.PermissionAspect;
+import org.raddatz.familienarchiv.service.CustomUserDetailsService;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.aop.AopAutoConfiguration;
+import org.springframework.boot.webmvc.test.autoconfigure.WebMvcTest;
+import org.springframework.context.annotation.Import;
+import org.springframework.security.test.context.support.WithMockUser;
+import org.springframework.test.context.bean.override.mockito.MockitoBean;
+import org.springframework.test.web.servlet.MockMvc;
+
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.request.MockMvcRequestBuilders.get;
+import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.result.MockMvcResultMatchers.jsonPath;
+import static org.springframework.test.web.servlet.result.MockMvcResultMatchers.status;
+
+@WebMvcTest(StatsController.class)
+@Import({SecurityConfig.class, PermissionAspect.class, AopAutoConfiguration.class})
+class StatsControllerTest {
+
+    @Autowired MockMvc mockMvc;
+
+    @MockitoBean PersonRepository personRepository;
+    @MockitoBean DocumentRepository documentRepository;
+    @MockitoBean CustomUserDetailsService customUserDetailsService;
+
+    @Test
+    void getStats_returns401_whenUnauthenticated() throws Exception {
+        mockMvc.perform(get("/api/stats"))
+                .andExpect(status().isUnauthorized());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @WithMockUser
+    void getStats_returns200_withCorrectCounts() throws Exception {
+        when(personRepository.count()).thenReturn(4L);
+        when(documentRepository.count()).thenReturn(12L);
+
+        mockMvc.perform(get("/api/stats"))
+                .andExpect(status().isOk())
+                .andExpect(jsonPath("$.totalPersons").value(4))
+                .andExpect(jsonPath("$.totalDocuments").value(12));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    @WithMockUser
+    void getStats_returns200_withZeroCounts() throws Exception {
+        when(personRepository.count()).thenReturn(0L);
+        when(documentRepository.count()).thenReturn(0L);
+
+        mockMvc.perform(get("/api/stats"))
+                .andExpect(status().isOk())
+                .andExpect(jsonPath("$.totalPersons").value(0))
+                .andExpect(jsonPath("$.totalDocuments").value(0));
+    }
+}