Where people in Germany live the longest

Life expectancy is increasing - but not equally everywhere. Baden-Württemberg is ahead. In eastern Germany the gap between women and men is particularly large. And in some places sin

By Tagesschau 4 Nov 2026 · 1d ago 2 min read

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Population research Where people in Germany live the longest As of: November 4th, 2026 • 1:38 p.m

Life expectancy is increasing - but not equally everywhere. Baden-Württemberg is ahead. In eastern Germany the gap between women and men is particularly large. And in some places, women's life expectancy is even falling.

People in Germany are getting older. As a study by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BIB) in Wiesbaden shows, average life expectancy will continue to rise in 2025. However, there are clear differences, regionally and by gender.

Statistically speaking, those who live in Baden-Württemberg are the oldest. Women here live to an average of 84.6 years, men 80.6. According to the study, the biggest difference between the sexes can be found in the east of the republic: almost everywhere, men live more than five years less than women. The largest difference is in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania at 6.4 years.

Saarland, on the other hand, has the smallest gap at 3.7 years.

Scientists see tobacco consumption as a possible reason for the different life expectancies between the sexes. "Heavy smoking was much more widespread among men than among women in the 20th century," explained Pavel Grigoriev, head of the mortality research group at BiB. However, tobacco consumption among men began to decline several decades ago.

Women, on the other hand, only started doing this in the 1970s. The associated negative consequences would therefore increase for them.

According to the study, which is based on the death statistics from the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, there will also be clear regional differences in 2025. Men in Bavaria are reaching exactly the 80-year mark for the first time and, together with men in Baden-Württemberg, are ahead in terms of life expectancy. According to the study, life expectancy for women is highest in Baden-Württemberg, Saxony and Bavaria.

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While the expected lifespan for men across Germany will increase in 2025 compared to 2024, there are declining figures for women in individual federal states. In addition to Schleswig-Holstein (-0.1), Bremen (-0.1) and Brandenburg (-0.2), the lowest record can be found here in Thuringia with a minus of half a year.

When it comes to life expectancy for men, all federal states are above the pre-Corona level of 2019. For women, seven states remain below this level: Saarland, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg.

Life expectancy differs between federal states, among other things, because people there live under different living conditions. Income, education and unemployment are among the strongest factors. People with low incomes and little education die earlier on average. The density of doctors and the distance to clinics and specialists also play a role.

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Originally published byTagesschau

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