Germany’s workers aged 60–65 averaged 31.3 sick days in 2024

Workers aged 60–65 in Germany took an average of 31.3 days of sick leave in 2024, Health Ministry data show. The ministry supplied the figures in response to a question from the Left party in the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament. DW said the number in that age group taking at least a year off for sickness rose from about 80,300 in 2022 to 96,100 in 2024.

Separately, Germany’s Federal Office of Statistics put the average for all workers at 15 sick days. The ministry figures come as Germany’s retirement age is gradually rising to 67 by 2031, depending on birth year and contribution history.

Warning over longer working lives

Left party spokesperson Sarah Vollath called the figures a “clear warning sign” in comments to the Rheinische Post. She said a further increase in the standard retirement age would ignore the circumstances of older workers, who cannot keep working forever.

Vollath claimed the federal government wanted to raise the standard retirement age further. Separately, in 2025, Economics Minister Katherina Reiche supported an increase to 70, creating tensions in the governing coalition. These proposals go beyond the existing gradual rise to 67 by 2031.