According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), life expectancy in Germany is increasing. There are differences between the genders and the regions of Germany.
Where do Germans and people around the world live the oldest? What factors influence life expectancy? Handelsblatt answers the most important questions.
The average life expectancy for women born in 2025 is 83.6 years. German men live to an average age of 79.1 years, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Compared to the previous year, the increase in lifespan for women is two months. For men there are three.
Life expectancy for both genders has been increasing since 2023. It had previously briefly decreased in the wake of the corona pandemic. According to the Federal Statistical Office, “improved living conditions, declining tobacco and alcohol consumption as well as medical progress” will very likely lead to a further increase in the future.
Among the federal states, Baden-Württemberg was ahead for both genders in the period 2023 to 2025. Women there could expect to live 84.4 years, men 80.3 years. The federal state has been leading the corresponding Destatis rankings for several years. Statistically, at the lower end are women in Saarland at 82.0 years and men in Saxony-Anhalt at 76.4 years.
Research shows that life expectancy and income are close together. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) calculated life expectancy by income group for the years 1992 to 2016 based on the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Accordingly, the average life expectancy at birth for men in the lowest income group is 8.6 years lower than for men in the highest. For women the difference is 4.4 years.
The groups also differ in the proportion of those who die before the age of 65. In the lowest income group it is 27 percent of men and 13 percent of women. In the highest income group it is 14 percent of men and 8 percent of women.
The data show a statistical relationship between income and mortality, but no direct effect of income on mortality. In research, income is considered an indicator of the overall social situation. This also includes education, working conditions, living conditions and health behavior.
According to the World Bank, the highest life expectancy at birth in 2024 was Monaco with 86.5 years, San Marino with 85.8 years and Hong Kong with 85.4 years. However, the values for small states such as Monaco and San Marino are considered statistically susceptible to fluctuations due to the small population. Among the larger countries, in addition to Hong Kong, Switzerland (84.4 years), Sweden (84.1) and Japan (84.0) lead the ranking.
Germany is well behind at 80.8 years, also behind neighbors such as France (83.0) and Austria (82.0). The global average is 73.5 years, with the lowest life expectancy in Nigeria at 54.6 years. Statistically speaking, women live longer than men.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, Germany spent 538.2 billion euros on health in 2024. That's 6,444 euros per capita and 12.4 percent of the gross domestic product. Nevertheless, according to Eurostat, life expectancy in 2024 was 81.2 years, just below the EU average and almost three years below that of Spain (84.0).
According to a study by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) and the Max Planck Institute, the gap to the rest of Western Europe has grown from 0.7 to 1.7 years by 2022 since 2000. Accordingly, German men between the ages of 55 and 74 and women aged 75 and over have a lower life expectancy. The main cause is the comparatively high mortality from cardiovascular diseases, which researchers also attribute to inadequate prevention and primary care.
A figure from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) fits in with this: With 810 preventable hospital admissions per 100,000 inhabitants, Germany is well above the OECD average of 473. This points to gaps in outpatient care. At the same time, Germany has 7.7 beds per 1,000 inhabitants, almost twice as many hospital beds as the average.
There are some demographic criteria that influence mortality. Probably one of the most important factors in expected age is the medical progress of a country or region. In addition, the wealthier a society is, the higher the average age at death is.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, in addition to medical progress, new drugs, the prevention of typical cardiovascular diseases and the state of health of the population also have an impact on lifespan. Hygiene, education as well as work and lifestyle also influence life expectancy.
An example: People tend to live longest in countries with average or above-average medical care, secure incomes and few political crises. These include Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic, on the other hand, are among the countries with the lowest life expectancy. In Nigeria, for example, it was only 54 years old in 2024.
In Germany, women have a longer life expectancy of around five years. According to the Max Planck Institute, genetic components and lifestyle could be responsible for this. According to the institute, women on average go to the doctor earlier and more often, tend to drink less alcohol, smoke less often and pay more attention to a healthy diet. In addition, men are more willing to take risks, especially at a young age, for example in traffic.
