Life expectancy in Germany
Germany: Life expectancy was 81.38 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
81.38 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
45th
of 236 countries
All-time high
81.38 years
in 2023
All-time low
38.37 years
in 1875
Years of data
83
1875–2023
Life expectancy in Germany, 1875–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy in Germany stood at 81.38 years. That is the highest value across all 83 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Germany peaked at 81.38 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 38.37 years, in 1875.
That places Germany 45th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 83 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Germany, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1875 | 38.37 years | — |
| 1885 | 39.44 years | +2.8% |
| 1895 | 42.38 years | +7.5% |
| 1905 | 45.45 years | +7.2% |
| 1911 | 49 years | +7.8% |
| 1915 | 40.52 years | -17.3% |
| 1925 | 57.42 years | +41.7% |
| 1935 | 61.5 years | +7.1% |
| 1946 | 60.51 years | -1.6% |
| 1950 | 66.81 years | +10.4% |
| 1951 | 67.14 years | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 67.46 years | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 67.76 years | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 68.06 years | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 68.34 years | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 68.59 years | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 68.5 years | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 69.23 years | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 69.33 years | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 69.25 years | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 69.84 years | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 70 years | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 70.12 years | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 70.65 years | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 70.63 years | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 70.74 years | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 70.96 years | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 70.61 years | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 70.46 years | -0.2% |
| 1970 | 70.68 years | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 70.91 years | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 71.15 years | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 71.36 years | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 71.68 years | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 71.52 years | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 71.98 years | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 72.59 years | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 72.57 years | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 72.92 years | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 73.09 years | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 73.33 years | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 73.63 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 73.92 years | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 74.38 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 74.49 years | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 74.7 years | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 75.11 years | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 75.28 years | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 75.47 years | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 75.34 years | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 75.56 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 76 years | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.08 years | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.38 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 76.55 years | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.78 years | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 77.22 years | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 77.58 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 77.8 years | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 78.06 years | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 78.4 years | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 78.47 years | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 78.54 years | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 79.12 years | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 79.25 years | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 79.59 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 79.73 years | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 79.82 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 79.92 years | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 80.08 years | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 80.35 years | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 80.5 years | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 80.45 years | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 80.91 years | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 80.57 years | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 80.84 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 80.94 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 80.87 years | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 81.19 years | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 81 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 81.11 years | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 80.58 years | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 81.38 years | +1.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 81.38 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 81 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Germany's 81.38 years is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 79.72 years, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy in Germany changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | +41.7% | 40.52 years | 57.42 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 38.37 years | 38.37 years | 38.37 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 39.44 years | 39.44 years | 39.44 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 42.38 years | 42.38 years | 42.38 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 45.45 years | 45.45 years | 45.45 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 44.76 years | 40.52 years | 49 years | 2 |
| 1920s | 57.42 years | 57.42 years | 57.42 years | 1 |
| 1930s | 61.5 years | 61.5 years | 61.5 years | 1 |
| 1940s | 60.51 years | 60.51 years | 60.51 years | 1 |
| 1950s | 68.12 years | 66.81 years | 69.33 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 70.32 years | 69.25 years | 70.96 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 71.74 years | 70.68 years | 72.92 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.34 years | 73.09 years | 75.47 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.53 years | 75.34 years | 77.8 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 79.09 years | 78.06 years | 79.92 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.67 years | 80.08 years | 81.19 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.02 years | 80.58 years | 81.38 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More health data for Germany
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9955 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,164 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 368 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2000)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0216 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Germany?
- Life expectancy in Germany was 81.38 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 81.38 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.37 years in 1875.
- How does Germany rank for life expectancy?
- Germany ranks 45th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 83 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.