Table of Contents
Top private health insurance companies in Germany
| Private Health Insurance Company | Total Number of Insured People | People insured in full private health insurance | People insured in supplementary private health insurance |
|---|---|---|---|
| DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung | 4,289,251 | 682,475 | 3,606,776 |
| Debeka Krankenversicherung | 4,177,453 | 2,519,223 | 1,658,230 |
| Allianz Private Krankenversicherung | 2,948,565 | 558,226 | 2,390,339 |
| Signal Krankenversicherung | 2,480,500 | 623,500 | 1,857,000 |
| Barmenia Krankenversicherung | 2,248,739 | 308,224 | 1,920,564 |
| ERGO Direkt Krankenversicherung | 1,891,898 | 51,746 | 1,840,152 |
| Generali Krankenversicherung | 1,849,721 | 290,123 | 1,559,598 |
| AXA Krankenversicherung | 1,717,278 | 808,678 | 908,600 |
| R+V Krankenversicherung | 1,669,049 | 70,712 | 1,598,337 |
| HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung | 1,565,492 | 300,492 | 1,265,000 |
Source: 2023 Annual financial statements of insurance companies
DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung AG leads the pack with the largest number of privately insured members. Close to DKV at the second spot is Debeka, with 4.1 million private health insurance customers.
Although Debeka is second in the total number of private health insurance members, it’s the top private insurer in Germany in terms of number of customers who have full private health insurance.
Debeka has 2.5 million full private health insurance members, more than twice the number of members (908k) of the insurer in second place (Axa Krankenversicherung).
HanseMerkur secured its place in the top 10 private health insurance companies in Germany for the first time. Ergo moved up in ranking and stole Generali’s 6th place.
Why are Germans switching to private health insurance in Germany?
The number of high-earners switching to private health insurance in Germany has been increasing consistently for the past 10 years. There are three main reasons for people moving to a private healthcare system.
- People fear that public health insurance will not be able to offer high-quality services at an affordable price in the future.
- Private health insurance is cheaper than public health insurance for high-earners
- Private health insurance plans offer better medical coverage than public.
All the biggest private health insurance companies saw an increase in the number of people insured in private health insurance with them in 2023.
Moreover, the German public healthcare system is struggling due to an aging population and increased healthcare expenditures. So, people in public health insurance fear that their policy will no longer be able to offer good coverage at an affordable price in the near future.
In our comparison and test, we found Allianz, LVM, and Signal Iduna private health insurance companies among the best.
Private health insurance is a complicated product. So, we recommend consulting a fee-based advisor or an insurance broker for personalized advice.
Book a free call with a health insurance expert
- German health insurance is a complicated product. There are several factors that must be considered before deciding which health insurance is best for you. An expert can guide you and help you pick the best option for you.
- An Insurance broker is liable for their advice. This means if the policy they recommended doesn’t offer the coverage you requested, they are liable to pay the damages incurred in the future.
How many people have private health insurance in Germany?
By the end of 2023, 38.26 million people in Germany had full or supplementary private health insurance, an increase of 0.43 million from the previous year (2022).
- Total number of people who have full private health insurance: 8.7 million
- Total number of people who have supplementary private health insurance: 29.6 million
- Total number of people insured in private health insurance: 38.26 million
German Healthcare Demystified – Free eBook
- The German healthcare system is complex. This is why we wrote this book to help you navigate it.
- Choosing health insurance is a life-long decision. If you pick the wrong plan, it may cost you dearly in the future.
- Learn what is covered in public and private health insurance and what is not.
- What supplement health insurance plans must you get based on your personal situation?
How many people have public health insurance in Germany?
74.26 million (as of 2025) people are insured in statutory health insurance, which is around 87.6% of the German population.
- The total number of members paying contributions has increased from 58 million (in 2023) to 59.16 million in 2025.
- At the same time, the total number of members insured free via family insurance reduced from 16 million in 2023 to 15.1 million in 2025
You can read our guide on the breakdown of the number of people insured in public health insurance to learn more.
More topics
- Is private health insurance worth it?
- Private vs public health insurance
- Services a good private health insurance must cover
- Private health insurance for self-employed in Germany
- Private health insurance for the unemployed in Germany
- Private health insurance for students in Germany
- Private health insurance for children in Germany
- Family health insurance in Germany
- Minimum coverage your private health insurance plan should offer
- Healthcare in Germany
- Best public health insurance in Germany
- Biggest public health insurance company in Germany
- Public health insurance calculator
References
- https://www.dkv.com/unternehmen-zahlen-fakten-geschaeftsbericht-kennzahlen-dkv-365.html
- https://www.allianz.de/unternehmen/zahlen-daten-fakten/geschaeftsberichte/
- https://www.signal-iduna.de/publikationen/finanzberichte.php
- https://www.barmenia.de/deu/bde_privat/bde_unternehmen/bde_daten_und_fakten/bde_geschaeftsergebnisse/geschaeftsberichte.xhtml
- https://www.generali.de/ueber-uns/zahlen-daten-fakten
- https://www.ergo.com/de/Unternehmen/Zahlen_Daten_Fakten/Berichte
- https://www.axa.de/wir-ueber-uns/daten-und-publikationen
- https://www.ruv.de/ueber-uns/unternehmen/geschaeftsberichte
- https://newsroom.hansemerkur.de/pressemitteilungen/wachstumsmeister-in-serie-hansemerkur-verzeichnet-2023-rekord-im-neugeschaeft/
