Leading Causes of Death in Germany

Key Takeaways

• Circulatory diseases and cancer have consistently been the two leading causes of death in Germany. Together, they account for more than half of all deaths from 2019 to 2024.
• Deaths from respiratory diseases dipped in 2020 and 2021, then rebounded sharply by 2023, reflecting both COVID-19 effects and Germany’s long-standing chronic lung disease burden.
• Germany’s mortality landscape is driven less by sudden events and more by long-term factors, such as an aging population, chronic disease patterns, and lifestyle-linked health risks.

Most Common Causes of Death in Germany

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In 2024, Germany recorded 1,007,758 deaths [2]. 

Cardiovascular diseases have long been the leading cause of death in Germany. By 2024, they remained responsible for the largest share of all fatalities. With an estimated 339,614 deaths, heart and circulatory conditions alone accounted for one in every three deaths nationwide.

Several factors help explain why cardiovascular diseases and cancers dominate deaths in Germany:

• Ageing Population: People in Germany are living longer than in previous generations. In the 2022/24 period, boys can expect to live 78.5 years, while girls have a life expectancy of 83.2 years​
• Lifestyle and metabolic risks: As Germans live longer, they develop a greater risk for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and harmful alcohol use by many Germans also gradually damage their heart, vessels and cells.

How Germany’s Leading Causes of Death Are Changing

For many years, the leading causes of death in Germany have been remarkably stable.

Diseases of the circulatory system and malignant neoplasms (cancers) are the leading causes of death, together accounting for roughly 56% of all deaths since 2019. This means that Germany’s mortality landscape is anchored in long‑term, chronic conditions rather than short‑lived epidemics or accidents.​​

Below these headline groups, several notable movements stand out. Ischaemic heart disease rose modestly after 2020 before easing again by 2023, while other chronic heart conditions continued to grow, suggesting that Germany’s heart‑disease burden is slowly shifting from acute heart attacks toward long‑running cardiac damage in older adults.

Respiratory diseases dipped during the first pandemic years and then rebounded to over 70,000 deaths by 2023, reflecting both COVID‑19 effects and an ongoing burden from chronic lung disease and COPD.​

Mental and behavioural disorders, especially dementia, are also climbing steadily. As Germans live longer and more people reach very old age, deaths linked to dementia now account for an increasing share of overall mortality.

In 2024, injuries, poisonings, and digestive diseases appear among the leading causes of death. Although far smaller than the major disease groups, they remain important indicators of external and lifestyle-related risks.

These patterns highlight how strongly Germany’s current death pattern is driven by ageing and chronic non‑communicable diseases rather than by acute, unpredictable events.