Health in Hesse, Germany: official figures
Life expectancy at birth was 81.5 years in 2024 (81.2 for Germany); 3rd highest of 16 states in Germany.
How many hospitals are there in Hesse?
Hesse had 150 hospitals in 2024: 46 publicly owned, 35 run by non-profit bodies and 69 private.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow long is the average hospital stay in Hesse?
The average hospital stay in Hesse lasted 7.2 days in 2024 and beds were 70.6% occupied on average, against 7.1 days and 72.0% nationally.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many hospital doctors are there in Hesse?
Hospitals in Hesse employed 15,291 doctors at the end of 2024, 244 per 100,000 residents compared with 261 across Germany.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyWhat is the caesarean section rate in Hesse?
35.6% of the women who gave birth in a hospital in Hesse in 2024 had a caesarean section, 3rd highest of 16 Länder (Germany: 33.0%).
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many people smoke in Hesse?
19.2% of people aged 15 and over in Hesse smoked at least occasionally in 2025 (Germany: 19.1%), and 16.5% of adults were obese (Germany: 16.7%).
Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren) · saved copyWhat is the death rate in Hesse?
The age-standardised death rate from all causes was 1,011.3 per 100,000 people in 2021, compared with 1,045.2 nationally and 1,073.4 in the EU; 4th lowest of 16 states in Germany. Age-standardised rates allow fair comparison between places with older and younger populations.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of cancer in Hesse?
Cancer killed 230.2 people per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 234.8 nationally and 233.1 in the EU; 4th lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 243.9.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of heart disease in Hesse?
Heart and circulatory diseases caused 363.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 349.7 nationally and 312.9 in the EU; 7th lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 395.9.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of respiratory disease in Hesse?
Respiratory diseases caused 71.0 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 73.3 nationally and 75.2 in the EU; 7th lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 78.6.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in Hesse?
The age-standardised suicide rate was 12.0 per 100,000 in 2023, compared with 11.4 nationally and 10.4 in the EU; 8th lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 11.9.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die in accidents in Hesse?
Accidents, injuries, violence and other external causes killed 48.0 per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), compared with 51.8 nationally and 49.4 in the EU; 3rd lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 47.6.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the infant mortality rate in Hesse?
3.1 babies in every 1,000 born alive died before their first birthday in 2023, compared with 3.2 nationally and 3.3 in the EU; 8th highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2013 it was 3.6.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die on the roads in Hesse?
Road accidents killed 32 people per million residents in 2024, against 33 for Germany as a whole; 8th highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2014 it was 37.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is life expectancy for men and women in Hesse?
Women in Hesse could expect to live to 83.7 and men to 79.2 at 2024 death rates, a gap of 4.5 years.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow long do people live after 65 in Hesse?
People who reached 65 could expect 19.7 more years of life in 2024 (Germany: 19.7).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Hospitals in Hesse treated 1,261,310 inpatient cases in 2024, or 20,103 per 100,000 residents, 5th lowest of 16 Länder (Germany: 21,009). Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copy
- Hesse had 29.7 intensive-care hospital beds per 100,000 people in 2024 (1,866 beds), 7th lowest of 16 Länder (Germany: 31.1). Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copy
- Premature mortality in Hesse was 250 deaths per 100,000 men and 135 per 100,000 women under 70 in 2024, against 265 and 145 nationally; the male rate was 3rd lowest of 16 Länder. Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren) · saved copy
How Hesse compares with other states
Hospital inpatient cases per 100,000 residents (2024)
Hesse ranks 12 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Hospital inpatient cases per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Berlin | 21,602 |
| 10 | Bavaria | 20,409 |
| 11 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 20,385 |
| 12 | Hesse | 20,103 |
| 13 | Brandenburg | 19,524 |
| 14 | Lower Saxony | 19,177 |
| 15 | Schleswig-Holstein | 18,253 |
Average length of hospital stay (days) (2024)
Hesse ranks 7 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Average length of hospital stay (days) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Bavaria | 7.3 |
| 5 | Baden-Württemberg | 7.2 |
| 6 | Berlin | 7.2 |
| 7 | Hesse | 7.2 |
| 8 | Saxony | 7.1 |
| 9 | Thuringia | 7.0 |
| 10 | Saxony-Anhalt | 7.0 |
Intensive-care beds per 100,000 residents (2024)
Hesse ranks 10 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Intensive-care beds per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Saxony-Anhalt | 32.5 |
| 8 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 30.9 |
| 9 | Thuringia | 30.6 |
| 10 | Hesse | 29.7 |
| 11 | Bremen | 28.8 |
| 12 | Bavaria | 28.0 |
| 13 | Brandenburg | 27.4 |
Deaths under 70 per 100,000 men (2024)
Hesse ranks 14 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths under 70 per 100,000 men |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 273 |
| 11 | Schleswig-Holstein | 272 |
| 12 | Hamburg | 261 |
| 13 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 252 |
| 14 | Hesse | 250 |
| 15 | Bavaria | 228 |
| 16 | Baden-Württemberg | 219 |
Share of people 15+ who smoke (2025)
Hesse ranks 9 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of people 15+ who smoke |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Schleswig-Holstein | 20.2% |
| 7 | Berlin | 20.0% |
| 8 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 19.4% |
| 9 | Hesse | 19.2% |
| 10 | Lower Saxony | 19.1% |
| 11 | Brandenburg | 18.9% |
| 12 | Saarland | 18.7% |
Share of adults with obesity (BMI over 30) (2025)
Hesse ranks 12 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of adults with obesity (BMI over 30) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 18.0% |
| 10 | Thuringia | 17.6% |
| 11 | Saxony | 17.0% |
| 12 | Hesse | 16.5% |
| 13 | Baden-Württemberg | 15.1% |
| 14 | Bavaria | 14.3% |
| 15 | Berlin | 13.6% |
Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) (2021)
Hesse ranks 13 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 1,027.7 |
| 11 | Schleswig-Holstein | 1,014.6 |
| 12 | Bavaria | 1,012.1 |
| 13 | Hesse | 1,011.3 |
| 14 | Berlin | 1,007.2 |
| 15 | Hamburg | 1,001.5 |
| 16 | Baden-Württemberg | 951.2 |
Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Hesse ranks 13 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Lower Saxony | 241.9 |
| 11 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 237.1 |
| 12 | Saxony | 232.1 |
| 13 | Hesse | 230.2 |
| 14 | Thuringia | 228.4 |
| 15 | Bavaria | 215.8 |
| 16 | Baden-Württemberg | 203.8 |
Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Hesse ranks 10 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Schleswig-Holstein | 369.6 |
| 8 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 364.5 |
| 9 | Bremen | 364.0 |
| 10 | Hesse | 363.5 |
| 11 | Bavaria | 344.9 |
| 12 | Saarland | 343.6 |
| 13 | Baden-Württemberg | 318.4 |
Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Hesse ranks 10 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Thuringia | 75.5 |
| 8 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 74.3 |
| 9 | Schleswig-Holstein | 73.3 |
| 10 | Hesse | 71.0 |
| 11 | Brandenburg | 68.4 |
| 12 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 67.5 |
| 13 | Bavaria | 66.3 |
Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Hesse ranks 9 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Bavaria | 12.8 |
| 7 | Bremen | 12.6 |
| 8 | Schleswig-Holstein | 12.3 |
| 9 | Hesse | 12.0 |
| 10 | Baden-Württemberg | 11.5 |
| 11 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 11.3 |
| 12 | Lower Saxony | 10.4 |
Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 (2023)
Hesse ranks 14 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Thuringia | 50.2 |
| 11 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 49.5 |
| 12 | Saarland | 49.2 |
| 13 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 48.0 |
| 14 | Hesse | 48.0 |
| 15 | Bremen | 47.1 |
| 16 | Lower Saxony | 36.3 |
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births (2023)
Hesse ranks 8 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Infant deaths per 1,000 live births |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Hamburg | 3.7 |
| 6 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 3.5 |
| 7 | Brandenburg | 3.3 |
| 8 | Hesse | 3.1 |
| 9 | Baden-Württemberg | 3.0 |
| 10 | Bavaria | 2.9 |
| 11 | Berlin | 2.9 |
Road deaths per million people (2024)
Hesse ranks 8 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Road deaths per million people |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Lower Saxony | 43 |
| 6 | Bavaria | 37 |
| 7 | Saxony | 36 |
| 8 | Hesse | 32 |
| 9 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 31 |
| 10 | Baden-Württemberg | 30 |
| 11 | Schleswig-Holstein | 29 |
More on Hesse: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · Germany
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_mlifexp: Life expectancy at birth, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 62800ed9bbb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset tran_r_acci: Victims in road accidents by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a183ad1f888d…)
- Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): Statistischer Bericht: Grunddaten der Krankenhäuser 2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ede95ab59dc…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_minfind: Infant mortality rates by NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 60cbafea3657…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset hlth_cd_asdr2: Causes of death: standardised death rate by NUTS 2 region of residence, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 308c4b705d5d…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_mlifexp: Life expectancy by age, sex and NUTS 2 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f5a2a33406b9…)
- Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren): Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren der Länder: Tabellenband mit kompletten Zeitreihen zu allen Indikatoren (October 2026 edition), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 5f3f1b692389…)
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