Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany

Germany: Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life was 90.3% in 2016. ▬ Flat

Latest (2016)
90.3%
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
12th
of 34 countries
All-time high
91.7%
in 2015
All-time low
71.4%
in 1997
Years of data
42
1973–2016

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany, 1973–2016

0204060801001973199420161973: 82 %1975: 79.2 %1976: 80.8 %1977: 82.8 %1978: 83.6 %1979: 86.6 %1980: 85.2 %1981: 76.7 %1982: 83.7 %1983: 80.3 %1984: 84.5 %1985: 82.5 %1986: 85.8 %1987: 85.2 %1988: 85.3 %1989: 88.7 %1990: 88.5 %1991: 84.9 %1992: 84.8 %1993: 84 %1994: 84.2 %1996: 80 %1997: 71.4 %1998: 77 %1999: 81.7 %2000: 75.9 %2001: 82.3 %2002: 79.8 %2003: 73 %2004: 84 %2005: 81.1 %2006: 81.5 %2007: 84.5 %2008: 83.4 %2009: 84.2 %2010: 85.7 %2011: 87.9 %2012: 89.1 %2013: 89.1 %2014: 90.3 %2015: 91.7 %2016: 90.3 %

Source: Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany stood at 90.3%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany peaked at 91.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 71.4%, in 1997.

That places Germany 12th out of 34 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany, 1973 to 2016.
Year % Change
1973 82.0%
1975 79.2% -3.4%
1976 80.8% +2.0%
1977 82.8% +2.5%
1978 83.6% +0.9%
1979 86.6% +3.7%
1980 85.2% -1.7%
1981 76.7% -10.0%
1982 83.7% +9.1%
1983 80.3% -4.1%
1984 84.5% +5.2%
1985 82.5% -2.4%
1986 85.8% +4.0%
1987 85.2% -0.7%
1988 85.3% +0.1%
1989 88.7% +4.0%
1990 88.5% -0.2%
1991 84.9% -4.1%
1992 84.8% -0.1%
1993 84.0% -1.0%
1994 84.2% +0.2%
1996 80.0% -4.9%
1997 71.4% -10.8%
1998 77.0% +7.9%
1999 81.7% +6.1%
2000 75.9% -7.1%
2001 82.3% +8.4%
2002 79.8% -3.0%
2003 73.0% -8.6%
2004 84.0% +15.0%
2005 81.1% -3.5%
2006 81.5% +0.6%
2007 84.5% +3.7%
2008 83.4% -1.4%
2009 84.2% +1.0%
2010 85.7% +1.7%
2011 87.9% +2.6%
2012 89.1% +1.3%
2013 89.1% -0.0%
2014 90.3% +1.4%
2015 91.7% +1.5%
2016 90.3% -1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 82.5% 79.2% 86.6% 6
1980s 83.8% 76.7% 88.7% 10
1990s 81.8% 71.4% 88.5% 9
2000s 81.0% 73.0% 84.5% 10
2010s 89.1% 85.7% 91.7% 7

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 9 Malta 93.5% compare
  2. 10 United Kingdom 93.1% compare
  3. 11 Belgium 91.5% compare
  4. 13 Slovenia 88.5% compare
  5. 14 Czechia 86.1% compare
  6. 15 Austria 84.7% compare

See the full ranking of 34 places →

More reference data data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany?
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany was 90.3% in 2016, according to Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 91.7% in 2015.
What is the lowest share of people who say they are satisfied with their life recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 71.4% in 1997.
How does Germany rank for share of people who say they are satisfied with their life?
Germany ranks 12th out of 34 countries with data for 2016.
Is share of people who say they are satisfied with their life rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-who-say-they-are-happy-eurobarometer/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who say they are satisfied with their life
Unit
%
Source
Eurobarometer (2017) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
34 places, 751 data points, 1973–2016
Last refreshed

Share of people answering "very satisfied" or "fairly satisfied" to the question "On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with the life you lead?"