As of the end of last year, there were 17,900 people aged 100 or older living in Germany, according to data by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
This is up by close to a quarter (+24%) since 2011, when there were just over 14,400 centenarians living in Germany, the data showed.
Older Persons Day
The findings, which were released to coincide with ‘Tag der älteren Menschen’ (Older Persons Day) on 1 October, indicates that women comprise the majority of those living to be more than 100, accounting for 83.8% as of last year. This compares to 87% in 2011.
‘Life expectancy has increased significantly over the long term; it is also higher for women than for men,’ Destatis noted.
The proportion of centenarians in the German population has also grown – back in 2011, there were 1.8 people aged 100 or older for every 10,000 citizens, while as of last year, this figure had risen to 2.1.
Regional differences are also evident, with North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous federal state, boasting the highest number of centenarians, with 3,900 residents aged 100 or older.
This is followed by Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, with 2,400 and 2,300, respectively.
Looking at the proportion of those aged 100 or older relative to population size, Hamburg leads the way, with 2.9 centenarians per 10,000 inhabitants, followed by Saxony (2.6 per 10,000 inhabitants) and Saarland (2.5).
The lowest share of centenarians relative to the total population was recorded in Bavaria (1.8 per 10,000 inhabitants), Bremen (1.9), and Brandenburg (2.0), the data showed.
Global increase
The increase in centenarians is not limited to Germany, with recent UN data indicating that the number of people aged 100 or older has grown from 303,000 in 2011 to 587,000 in 2024, on a global level. Women represent around four fifths (81%) of this group.
Internationally, Japan boasts the highest number of centenarians, with 121,000 people aged 100 or more, as of 2024. The United States follows with 70,000, and China with 43,000. Read more here.
