Men's life expectancy rises in all German states, women's falls in four

Men gain in every state

The Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) in Wiesbaden published new calculations on Wednesday, 4 November, showing that life expectancy in Germany rose in 2025, mainly among men. Men's life expectancy increased in every federal state compared with 2024. Bavaria became the second state after Baden-Württemberg to reach the 80-year mark, with its men reaching exactly 80 years for the first time. The figures are based on death statistics from the Federal Statistical Office. Men in Baden-Württemberg lead at 80.6 years, while Saxony-Anhalt (76.8 years) and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (77 years) sit at the bottom.

Baden-Württemberg80.6

Berlin79

Brandenburg78.4

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern77

Saxony-Anhalt76.8

Baden-Württemberg

80.6 years

Berlin

79 years

Brandenburg

78.4 years

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

77 years

Saxony-Anhalt

76.8 years

Data from the article text

Women's gains are smaller and four states fall

Women's life expectancy rose on average but not everywhere, and four states recorded a decline compared with 2024. Thuringia shows the steepest drop, roughly half a year (minus 0.5 years), followed by Brandenburg (minus 0.2 years), while Schleswig-Holstein and Bremen each lost 0.1 years. In seven states women's life expectancy still sits below the 2019 pre-pandemic level: Saarland, Bremen, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. For men, all states are now above that 2019 level.

Thuringia-0.5

Brandenburg-0.2

Schleswig-Holstein-0.1

Bremen-0.1

Thuringia

-0.5 years

Brandenburg

-0.2 years

Schleswig-Holstein

-0.1 years

Bremen

-0.1 years

Data from the article text

Berlin and Brandenburg side by side

In Berlin, men reached 79.0 years (plus 0.2 years) and women 83.9 years (plus 0.3 years), which places men sixth and women fourth in the national ranking. In neighbouring Brandenburg, men rose by 0.2 years to 78.4 years, but women fell by 0.2 years to 83.8 years. The Brandenburg decline for women therefore stands out against Berlin's increase. Berlin's men trail Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hamburg in the ranking.

Regional ranking and the gender gap

Baden-Württemberg also leads for women at 84.6 years, with Saxony and Bavaria at 84.3 years each. At the bottom end, Saxony-Anhalt women live 82.7 years, third from last, while Bremen (82.3 years) and Saarland (82.1 years) rank lowest. The gap between the best and worst states is 3.9 years for men and 2.6 years for women, according to the institute. The gender gap is widest in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern at 6.4 years and narrowest in Saarland at 3.7 years, and in eastern states men live more than five years less than women almost everywhere.

Baden-Württemberg84.6

Saxony84.3

Bavaria84.3

Berlin83.9

Brandenburg83.8

Saxony-Anhalt82.7

Bremen82.3

Saarland82.1

Baden-Württemberg

84.6 years

Saxony

84.3 years

Bavaria

84.3 years

Berlin

83.9 years

Brandenburg

83.8 years

Saxony-Anhalt

82.7 years

Bremen

82.3 years

Saarland

82.1 years

Data from the article text

Why women and men diverge

Researchers see tobacco as one possible reason for the diverging trends.

“Among men, heavy smoking was far more widespread in the 20th century than among women.”

Pavel Grigoriev, head of the mortality research group at the BiB, said male tobacco use fell several decades ago, so its negative effects are already declining. Women began smoking in larger numbers only in the 1970s, and the harm for them is still increasing. Beyond smoking, income, education and unemployment are among the strongest factors behind differences between states. People with low income and little education die earlier on average, and doctor density as well as distance to clinics and specialists also play a role.