Duration of working life in Germany
Germany: Duration of working life was 40.2 Year in 2025. ▲ Rising
Duration of working life in Germany, 2000–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Year.
Analysis
In 2025, duration of working life in Germany stood at 40.2 Year. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of working life in Germany peaked at 40.2 Year in 2025 and was at its lowest, 34.3 Year, in 2000.
That places Germany 11th out of 44 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Duration of working life in Germany, year by year
| Year | Year | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 34.3 Year | — |
| 2001 | 34.6 Year | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 34.7 Year | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 34.9 Year | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 34.9 Year | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 35.6 Year | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 36.1 Year | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 36.4 Year | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 36.5 Year | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 36.6 Year | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 36.8 Year | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 37.4 Year | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 37.5 Year | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 37.8 Year | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 38 Year | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 37.9 Year | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 38.2 Year | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 38.4 Year | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 38.7 Year | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 39.1 Year | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 38.7 Year | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 38.8 Year | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 39.4 Year | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 39.7 Year | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 40 Year | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 40.2 Year | +0.5% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 40.2 Year is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 38.1 Year, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Germany's 40.2 Year is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.6 Year, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.46 Year | 34.3 Year | 36.6 Year | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.98 Year | 36.8 Year | 39.1 Year | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.47 Year | 38.7 Year | 40.2 Year | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More reference data data for Germany
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 15.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 9.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 80.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.56 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of working life in Germany?
- Duration of working life in Germany was 40.2 Year in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest duration of working life recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 40.2 Year in 2025.
- What is the lowest duration of working life recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.3 Year in 2000.
- How does Germany rank for duration of working life?
- Germany ranks 11th out of 44 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of working life rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Duration of working life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).