Germany’s mental health issues become leading cause of sick leave FAST-MOVING
Data from the DAK health insurance group show that mental‑health illnesses have overtaken respiratory diseases as the principal reason for employee sick leave in several German states. In Bavaria, Hessen and Niedersachsen, sick‑leave due to depression, anxiety or adjustment disorders rose by about 12 % in the first half of 2026, while days lost to colds and flu fell by roughly a quarter. The overall sick‑leave rate in these regions dipped slightly to 5.5 % of workers, but the average duration of each absence grew to around 9.5 days.
Nationally, German workers took an average of about 22 sick‑leave days in 2024 – among the highest in Europe – with mental‑health cases accounting for only 4.8 % of all diagnoses but generating an average of 28 days of absence. The number of mental‑health‑related sick days has risen 47 % since 2014, making it the second‑biggest cause after respiratory illnesses.
The German coalition government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, plans to tighten sick‑note rules by eliminating telephone certificates and requiring a medical note from day one of absence. Researchers warn that such measures address only symptoms, while underlying problems such as chronic understaffing, low pay and high emotional demands in health‑care, education and social‑work sectors drive the mental‑health surge.
DAK’s regional chief Rainer Blasutto promotes “partial sick‑leave” options that allow employees to return to work gradually, arguing they can reduce overall absence while supporting recovery.
Entities: DAK Gesundheitskasse · Friedrich Merz · IGES Institute · Johannes Siegrist · Rainer Blasutto
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Mental‑health related absences are the second‑biggest cause of absence after respiratory diseases in Germany. (AOK data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Mental disorders accounted for 4.8% of sickness cases in Germany. (AOK data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sick‑leave days due to mental health issues rose 47% among AOK members since 2014. (AOK data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Average sick‑leave days rose sharply after electronic sick‑note reporting was introduced in 2022. (BKK data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Germany will scrap telephone sick notes and require medical certificates from the first day of absence. (German coalition plan)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Women in health‑care and social work took an average of 27 sick days in 2024; teachers took 24. (BKK sectoral data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] German workers took an average of about 22 days of sick leave in 2024. (BKK association data)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Researchers link high absenteeism in nursing, care work and teaching to chronic understaffing, low pay, weak career prospects and high emotional demands. (researchers cited in analysis)