Causes of Death in Germany By Gender

Key Takeaways

• Men have higher mortality from cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer, and respiratory conditions. This is mainly caused by lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol use, obesity, and physical inactivity.
• Women have longer life expectancy than men. They are more affected by dementia, chronic heart disorders, and other age-related illnesses.
• Across both genders, circulatory diseases and malignant neoplasms remain the two largest cause groups in Germany, together accounting for more than half of all deaths.

In 2024, Germany recorded 1,007,758 deaths, a slight 2% decrease from the previous year. While men and women face many of the same major health risks, the way these diseases affect them is far from equal.

Here is a data-driven look at how mortality differs between men and women.

Leading causes of death for men

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Among men, heart disease remains the dominant threat, which caused 39,800 deaths. Lung cancer follows closely with 26,400 deaths.

These patterns are linked to lifestyle factors:

• Smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Obesity
• Physical inactivity

These risks are amplified for men in lower socioeconomic groups and in structurally weaker regions such as parts of eastern Germany, where unemployment, lower education attainment, and more hazardous manual occupations are associated with the factors mentioned above.

Leading causes of death for women

Life expectancy in Germany has risen for both men and women over time [2]. However, women are projected to live longer than men. This means their leading causes of death are more strongly linked to age-related conditions. Dementia, chronic pulmonary disorders, and neurological diseases appear far more prominently in female mortality.

Regardless of gender, circulatory system diseases and malignant neoplasms remain the two leading broad cause groups of death in Germany. Together, they account for more than half of all deaths in Germany.

As more people reach older ages, long-term strain on the heart, blood vessels, and cells becomes more visible. These stresses often manifest later in life as heart attacks, strokes, and various cancers. Major contributing factors include:

• harmful alcohol use
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• smoking
• obesity
• physical inactivity