Sickness rate remains high

Sick leave rates remain at a record high in Germany, according to the AOK Absence Report. Employees were absent due to illness an average of 2,3 times in 2024. Six types of illness predominate.

The cold season is already in full swing. According to the Robert Koch Institute, one in eleven Germans had a cold at the beginning of October. The current absence report from the AOKAccording to the forecast, the sickness rate among employees in Germany will remain at a persistently high level in 2024 and is likely to remain so in 2025. Each employee insured with AOK was absent from work due to illness an average of 2,3 times in 2024. With 228 sickness absences per 100 members, the previous record of 225 cases per 100 members from 2023 was once again exceeded.

The AOK (a German health insurance company) expects a similar pattern this year. Respiratory illnesses reached a new peak in February 2025 and have since settled at a slightly lower level than in the corresponding months of 2024. "However, the overall balance for 2025 will probably be similar to the previous year," predicts Helmut Schröder, Managing Director of WIdO, the scientific institute of the AOK. This is primarily due to the wave-like pattern of viral diseases, says Schröder.Cold and flu outbreaks as well as corona infections have already increased since September 2025 and will determine AU events until the end of the year." 

Six types of disease dominate. In 2024, 

• 19,8 percent of absences were due to Musculoskeletal diseases and
• 15,1 percent on respiratory diseases back,
• followed by mental illness (12,5 percent),
• Verletzungen (9,3 percent) and
• Diseases of the circulatory system (4,5 percent)
• and the Digestive organs (3,9 percent). 

Mental illnesses have been increasing sharply for ten years

In addition, the number is growing mentally induced sick leave cases steadily. "Over the last ten years, the number of days lost due to mental illness increased by 43 percent", says Schröder. Compared to other types of illness, they are associated with long periods of absence, averaging 28,5 days per case of illness, and are therefore also a "long-term driver" of overall sickness absence.

Another factor influencing the high level of sickness is probably the Introduction of electronic sickness notification, which led to a more complete recording of absences. 

Source: AOK

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