Sickness absences from work — Sickness absences of full-time in Germany

Germany: Sickness absences from work — Sickness absences of full-time was 3.5 Weeks per year per person in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
3.5 Weeks per year per person
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
7th
of 23 countries
All-time high
3.6 Weeks per year per person
in 2017
All-time low
1.5 Weeks per year per person
in 2003
Years of data
22
2003–2025

Sickness absences from work — Sickness absences of full-time in Germany, 2003–2025

012342003201420252003: 1.5 Weeks per year per person2004: 1.6 Weeks per year per person2005: 2.2 Weeks per year per person2006: 2 Weeks per year per person2007: 2.3 Weeks per year per person2008: 2.5 Weeks per year per person2009: 2.9 Weeks per year per person2010: 2.8 Weeks per year per person2011: 3.1 Weeks per year per person2012: 3.2 Weeks per year per person2013: 3.5 Weeks per year per person2014: 3.2 Weeks per year per person2015: 3.5 Weeks per year per person2016: 3.5 Weeks per year per person2017: 3.6 Weeks per year per person2018: 3.6 Weeks per year per person2019: 3.5 Weeks per year per person2021: 2.6 Weeks per year per person2022: 2.7 Weeks per year per person2023: 3.5 Weeks per year per person2024: 3.6 Weeks per year per person2025: 3.5 Weeks per year per person

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Weeks per year per person.

Analysis

The most recent figure for sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time in Germany is 3.5 Weeks per year per person, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time in Germany peaked at 3.6 Weeks per year per person in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.5 Weeks per year per person, in 2003.

Germany ranks 7th of 23 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.14 Weeks per year per person 1.5 Weeks per year per person 2.9 Weeks per year per person 7
2010s 3.35 Weeks per year per person 2.8 Weeks per year per person 3.6 Weeks per year per person 10
2020s 3.18 Weeks per year per person 2.6 Weeks per year per person 3.6 Weeks per year per person 5

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 4 France 4.1 Weeks per year per person compare
  2. 5 Portugal 4 Weeks per year per person compare
  3. 6 Belgium 3.9 Weeks per year per person compare
  4. 8 Austria 3.3 Weeks per year per person compare
  5. 9 Sweden 3.2 Weeks per year per person compare
  6. 10 Czechia 3.1 Weeks per year per person compare

See the full ranking of 32 places →

More reference data data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time in Germany?
Sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time in Germany was 3.5 Weeks per year per person in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 3.6 Weeks per year per person in 2017.
What is the lowest sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 1.5 Weeks per year per person in 2003.
How does Germany rank for sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time?
Germany ranks 7th out of 23 countries with data for 2025.
Is sickness absences from work — sickness absences of full-time rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Sickness absences from work — Sickness absences of full-time dependent employees, annual averages. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sickness absences from work — Sickness absences of full-time in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/sickness-absences-from-work-sickness-absences-of-full-time-dependent-employees-annual/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
Sickness absences from work — Sickness absences of full-time dependent employees, annual averages
Unit
Weeks per year per person
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
32 places, 737 data points, 1997–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents time series on sickness absences of full-time dependent employees, annual averages. Data are expressed in number of weeks of sickness absences per year, self-reported, covering both full and part-week absences. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.