Sick Leave Statistics in Germany: The Key Numbers

How high is sickness absence in Germany?

German employees were recently sick-listed for around 15 working days per year on average (Federal Statistical Office), up from roughly 11 days before the pandemic. The Krankenstand rate reported by public health insurers (the share of insured workers off sick on a given day) has hovered around 5 to 5.5 percent since 2022, a record level. Three diagnosis groups dominate: respiratory infections (most frequent, mostly short), musculoskeletal disorders (second), and mental health conditions, the latter with by far the longest absences, averaging over 30 days per case and rising for years. Part of the post-2022 jump is a recording effect: since electronic sick notes (eAU) became mandatory, every certificate reaches the insurers' data, where paper notes previously went unreported. Economically, the BAuA estimates the production loss from sickness absence at a three-digit billion-euro figure per year.

The core numbers at a glance

Sources measure sickness absence differently: the statistical office surveys employees, insurers count certified absence days of their members. The magnitudes agree: record highs.

What drives the absence rate

The diagnosis ranking has been stable for years, but the weights are shifting noticeably:

• Respiratory infections: the most frequent single cause, many short cases, shapes the winter infection waves.
• Musculoskeletal disorders: the second-largest block, typical for physical jobs, medium case durations.
• Mental health conditions: third by total days but by far the longest cases, and the fastest-growing category.
• Industry gaps are wide: care work, education, and logistics sit well above average; knowledge-work office roles below.

The eAU effect: why the curve jumps in 2022

Since 2022/2023, doctors transmit sick notes electronically to the insurers (eAU). That captures certificates that previously never reached the insurer on paper, so part of the record level is better recording, not only more sickness.

For HR this means: comparisons against pre-2022 values are of limited use. Benchmark your own absence rate against current industry values, not historical time series.

What sickness absence costs

For German employers the direct cost block starts with continued pay: up to six weeks of full salary per sickness case (Section 3 EFZG), after which the insurer pays sickness benefit. Cover staff, overtime, and friction come on top.

Economy-wide, the BAuA puts the production loss from sickness absence at a three-digit billion-euro figure per year; including lost gross value added, the estimate is substantially higher.

The US comparison

The US has no federal paid-sick-leave law; mandates come from individual states and employers. Workers with access receive about 7 to 8 paid sick days per year on average (BLS), and reported absence is far below German values, partly because unreported working-while-sick is common.

For international teams the lesson is: absence benchmarks do not translate across countries: The systems measure different things. Our state-by-state sick leave reference lists the US mandates.

For HR: measure your own curve

Public statistics answer the benchmark question. Your own curve comes from the absence system: sick days per team and month, case durations, seasonality. Clean separation by leave type matters, otherwise vacation and special leave dilute the metric.

Time Out Zone tracks sick leave as its own leave type and makes it reportable per department in charts and exports, including year-over-year trends.