Germany's sick leave rate declined slightly in the first half of 2026, according to health insurer DAK-Gesundheit. It stood at 5.3 percent in the first six months of the year, 0.1 percentage points lower than in the same period last year, DAK announced on Monday in Hamburg, based on data from its own insured members. Mental illness overtook respiratory illness as the most common reason for sick leave.
The percentage figure means that, on average, 53 out of every 1,000 employees were on sick leave on any given day between January and June 2026. In the same period the previous year, 2025, the figure was 54 out of 1,000, according to DAK's data. The average length of sick leave rose slightly, from 9.5 days in the first half of 2025 to 9.7 days in the first half of 2026.
According to the analysis, sick leave due to respiratory illness fell by 21 percent compared with the same half-year period a year earlier, while sick leave due to mental illness rose by nine percent. "Our analysis shows how quickly absence figures can shift up or down depending on the actual pattern of illness," said DAK CEO Andreas Storm. "There is a particular need for action when it comes to the large number of long-term illnesses involving many missed working days."
The analysis is based on data from around 2.2 million employed DAK members. The health insurer commissioned the Berlin-based Iges Institute to carry out the analysis.
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