Mental health and suicide trends in Germany

Germany is experiencing a rise in suicide rates, marking the fourth consecutive year of increase. In 2025, 11,334 deaths were recorded, a 9.3 percent increase from the previous year. This represents the highest level of suicides since 1998. The upward trend began in 2020, with a cumulative increase of 23 percent since that year.

Demographic shifts are notable. While men account for 69.2 percent of cases, the gender gap is narrowing. Suicides among women have increased by 17.9 percent, compared to 5.8 percent for men, with the female rate rising by 54 percent since 2020, largely driven by deaths involving medication. Risk also increases with age: the Christian Democrats for Life (CDL) noted that suicides in the 65 and older age group rose by 558 cases between 2024 and 2025.

The National Suicide Prevention Program (NaSPro) attributes part of this rise to a 2020 Federal Constitutional Court decision that legalized the professional promotion of assisted suicide. Other contributing factors include social isolation resulting from COVID-19 pandemic measures.

This trend follows a nearly 40-year decline that began after a 1981 peak. Concurrently, reports indicate significant systemic gaps in the healthcare system regarding depression treatment. Approximately 5.3 million people in Germany require treatment for unipolar depression annually, yet patients face waiting times of up to two years for therapy. Experts have linked delayed or non-compliant treatment to increased suicidal developments.