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Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 80.8
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 22.0%
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 28.1%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 4.8%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 10.2%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2021: 38%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as poor or very poor, by income, 2021
– Lowest quintile: 30%
– Highest quintile: 14%
– Total: 23%
Limitations in daily activities in adults aged 65 and over, 2020
– Some limitations: 21%
– Severe limitations: 21%
Share of adults aged 65 and over receiving long-term care, 2021: 20.5%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

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Population, Midyear 2022: 83,369,843
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 239.18
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 80.99
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 82,762,676
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 22.41%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 26.39%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 30.48%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

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“Over the next years and decades, the population structure in Germany will continue to change dramatically: Women and men in Germany are growing older, an additional burden is being imposed on the social security systems and society is becoming more diverse – not least because of the major rise in immigration. These changes are fundamental and being felt increasingly in our society. Their causes are primarily the steady increase in life expectancy and the consistently low birth level.

“According to current forecasts, the total population in 2030 will be roughly the same as it is today.

“The working population aged from 20 to under 67 will probably decline considerably in the coming decades. On the other hand, the number of elderly and aged people is set to rise. At the moment, there are around 30 senior citizens for every 100 people of working age. In the year 2040, there will actually be 49 senior citizens for every 100 people of working age. This takes into account an immigration level of 200,000 people. By all model calculations, the decline in and ageing of the population are irreversible.”

Source: UN Economic Commission for Europe (2017). Country Report – Federal Republic of Germany. UNECE, Geneva, Switzerland.

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“The life expectation of women is greater than that of men. However, since 1960, men have gained on average 11,3 years and women 10.7 years of life expectancy. Life expectancy will probably continue to increase in the future. Increasing numbers of men and women are reaching advanced age with better physical and mental capabilities.

“Women generally and those aged between 70 and 85 state more often than men that they are in a poor state of health subjectively. They also need care more frequently than men. Older women in need of care are cared for at home less frequently then men in need of care and live more frequently in nursing homes. They are generally younger than their partners. In addition, men have a higher mortality rate than women, so that the potential for women to be cared for in the family is much lower than it is for men. What both older men and women have in common is that they assess their living situation overwhelmingly as very good or good.

“Many older women and men have adult children with whom they are in close contact. More than 80 percent of older women and over 70 percent of older men with children have contact with them every day or several times a week.”

Source: UN Economic Commission for Europe (2017). Country Report – Federal Republic of Germany. UNECE, Geneva, Switzerland.

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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated April 15, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.