Sickness rate 2024: the official figure and the insurers figures
Official statutory sickness rate 2024: 5.80 % (GKV statistics KM1).
The official sickness rate of the statutory health insurance system averaged 5.80 % in 2024, measured as compulsory members reported unfit for work on the first of each month (Federal Ministry of Health, GKV statistics KM1). Insurer reports use different methods and arrive at different values: TK 5.23 %, BARMER 6.17 %, BKK 6.1 %, AOK 6.5 %. None of these sources publishes sickness rates in per cent by economic sector. TK reports by occupational field in sick days per insurance year, from 11.9 days in IT and communication occupations to 31.2 days among vehicle and transport equipment operators.
Statutory health insurance sickness rate, annual average 2024 (Federal Ministry of Health, GKV statistics KM1)
Statutory sickness rate 2024
Federal Ministry of Health, KM1
TK sickness rate 2024
TK Gesundheitsreport 2025
BARMER sickness rate 2024
BARMER Gesundheitsreport 2025
AOK sickness rate 2024
WIdO, employed AOK members
The official figure and why insurers differ
The official sickness rate of the statutory health insurance system averaged 5.80 % in 2024, measured as compulsory members reported unfit for work on the first of each month (Federal Ministry of Health, GKV statistics KM1). Insurer reports use different methods, usually insurance periods rather than reference dates, and arrive at different values: TK 5.23 %, BARMER 6.17 %, BKK 6.1 %, AOK 6.5 %. Each measures its own insured population and they are not comparable with one another.
Interpretation
Between the lowest and highest occupational field reported by TK lies a factor of 2.6: 11.9 days in IT and communication occupations against 31.2 days among vehicle and transport equipment operators. One caveat on reading this: a low value is not automatically better health. Presenteeism, attending work while ill, is regularly reported more often in office work than in occupations requiring physical presence at a workplace. No quantification of that effect is available for these occupational fields.
Sources
- 1
GKV-Statistik KM1, Jahresdurchschnitt 2024
Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, 2025
Krankenstand Bund insgesamt 5,80 %. Definition: arbeitsunfähig kranke Pflichtmitglieder in Prozent der Pflichtmitglieder, Stichtag jeweils der Monatserste.
Quelle öffnen Abgerufen: 2026-08-24 - 2
TK Gesundheitsreport 2025, Tabelle 5: AU-Tage je Versicherungsjahr nach Berufsfeld
Techniker Krankenkasse, 2025
Datenjahr 2024, Krankenstand TK 5,23 %. Gliederung nach Berufsfeldern der Klassifikation der Berufe 2010, nicht nach Wirtschaftszweigen.
Quelle öffnen Abgerufen: 2026-08-24 - 3
BARMER Gesundheitsreport 2025, Standardauswertungen
BARMER Institut für Gesundheitssystemforschung (bifg), 2025
Datenjahr 2024, Krankenstand 6,17 %, 22,54 Fehltage je Erwerbsperson, 3,61 Mio. Erwerbspersonen.
Quelle öffnen Abgerufen: 2026-08-24 - 4
Arbeitsunfähigkeitsdaten 2024: Der Krankenstand stabilisiert sich auf Rekordniveau
BKK Dachverband, 2025
Datenjahr 2024, Krankenstand 6,1 %, 22,3 AU-Tage je Beschäftigtem.
Quelle öffnen Abgerufen: 2026-08-24
We use deeplink-friendly originals. Charts are redrawn from the data - no 1:1 copies. For Statista data the underlying primary source (e.g. WIdO, AOK) is named explicitly.
Further reading
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