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Regional differences in sick leave in Germany
Discover the federal states with the highest sickness rates in Germany! Analyzes show regional differences and show that Saxony-Anhalt and Saarland are at the top. Find out more about the effects on the world of work and the most common causes of sick leave.
Regional differences in sick leave in Germany
There are major regional differences in sickness rates in Germany, as shown by a current evaluation by the health insurance company DAK-Gesundheit for the first quarter of 2024 of 2.2 million insured people. On average, 5.8 percent of employees in Germany are absent from work every day due to illness. However, in some federal states the rate is significantly higher.
Saxony-Anhalt and Saarland top the list with 6.8 percent each, which means that every working person in these countries has already missed an average of more than six days in the first three months of the year. Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania follow in third place with 6.7 percent each. In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in the south of the republic, however, the sickness rate is only 5.1 percent, well below the average.
Between January and March 2024, more than a third (38 percent) of employees in Germany were absent at least once due to illness. This means that on average 58 out of 1000 employees were absent on any given day. Andreas Storm, the head of the health insurance company, warns that despite high default rates, there is no all-clear in sight in the first quarter of 2024. The hoped-for trend reversal has not yet materialized.
There are many reasons for sick leave, with a good quarter of days missed being due to colds and other respiratory illnesses. Musculoskeletal disorders and mental illnesses also play a significant role in sick leave. Back pain and psychological problems even caused slightly higher days of absence per 100 insured people in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year.