Health in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: official figures
Life expectancy at birth was 80.8 years in 2024 (81.2 for Germany); 9th highest of 16 states in Germany.
How many hospitals are there in Schleswig-Holstein?
Schleswig-Holstein had 90 hospitals in 2024: 12 publicly owned, 29 run by non-profit bodies and 49 private.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow long is the average hospital stay in Schleswig-Holstein?
The average hospital stay in Schleswig-Holstein lasted 7.8 days in 2024 and beds were 74.0% occupied on average, against 7.1 days and 72.0% nationally.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many hospital doctors are there in Schleswig-Holstein?
Hospitals in Schleswig-Holstein employed 7,558 doctors at the end of 2024, 256 per 100,000 residents compared with 261 across Germany.
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyWhat is the caesarean section rate in Schleswig-Holstein?
33.8% of the women who gave birth in a hospital in Schleswig-Holstein in 2024 had a caesarean section, 6th highest of 16 Länder (Germany: 33.0%).
Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copyHow many people smoke in Schleswig-Holstein?
20.2% of people aged 15 and over in Schleswig-Holstein smoked at least occasionally in 2025 (Germany: 19.1%), and 18.6% of adults were obese (Germany: 16.7%).
Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren) · saved copyWhat is the death rate in Schleswig-Holstein?
Adjusting for age, 1,014.6 people per 100,000 died in 2021 (Germany: 1,045.2; EU: 1,073.4); 6th 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 Schleswig-Holstein?
Cancer killed 251.6 people per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), against 234.8 for Germany as a whole and 233.1 across the EU; 4th highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 270.1.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of heart disease in Schleswig-Holstein?
Heart and circulatory diseases caused 369.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), against 349.7 for Germany as a whole and 312.9 across the EU; 7th highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 402.5.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die of respiratory disease in Schleswig-Holstein?
Respiratory diseases caused 73.3 deaths per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), against 73.3 for Germany as a whole and 75.2 across the EU; 8th lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 87.7.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the suicide rate in Schleswig-Holstein?
In 2023, 12.3 people per 100,000 took their own life (age-standardised), against 11.4 for Germany as a whole and 10.4 across the EU; 8th highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 13.2.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die in accidents in Schleswig-Holstein?
Accidents, injuries, violence and other external causes killed 63.8 per 100,000 in 2023 (age-standardised), against 51.8 for Germany as a whole and 49.4 across the EU; 2nd highest of 16 states in Germany. In 2015 it was 52.8.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the infant mortality rate in Schleswig-Holstein?
The infant mortality rate was 2.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023, against 3.2 for Germany as a whole and 3.3 across the EU; the lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2013 it was 3.3.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people die on the roads in Schleswig-Holstein?
Road accidents killed 29 people per million residents in 2024 (Germany: 33); 6th lowest of 16 states in Germany. In 2014 it was 43.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is life expectancy for men and women in Schleswig-Holstein?
Women in Schleswig-Holstein could expect to live to 83.0 and men to 78.6 at 2024 death rates, a gap of 4.4 years.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow long do people live after 65 in Schleswig-Holstein?
People who reached 65 could expect 19.5 more years of life in 2024 (Germany: 19.7).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- Hospitals in Schleswig-Holstein treated 539,618 inpatient cases in 2024, or 18,253 per 100,000 residents, 2nd lowest of 16 Länder (Germany: 21,009). Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copy
- Schleswig-Holstein had 26.6 intensive-care hospital beds per 100,000 people in 2024 (786 beds), 2nd lowest of 16 Länder (Germany: 31.1). Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) · saved copy
- Premature mortality in Schleswig-Holstein was 272 deaths per 100,000 men and 158 per 100,000 women under 70 in 2024, against 265 and 145 nationally; the male rate was 6th lowest of 16 Länder. Source: Statistische Ämter des Bundes und der Länder (Arbeitskreis Nachhaltigkeitsindikatoren) · saved copy
How Schleswig-Holstein compares with other states
Hospital inpatient cases per 100,000 residents (2024)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 15 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Hospital inpatient cases per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 16 | Baden-Württemberg | 17,078 |
Average length of hospital stay (days) (2024)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 1 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Average length of hospital stay (days) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schleswig-Holstein | 7.8 |
| 2 | Brandenburg | 7.7 |
| 3 | Hamburg | 7.7 |
| 4 | Bavaria | 7.3 |
| 5 | Baden-Württemberg | 7.2 |
| 6 | Berlin | 7.2 |
| 7 | Hesse | 7.2 |
Intensive-care beds per 100,000 residents (2024)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 15 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Intensive-care beds per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Hesse | 29.7 |
| 11 | Bremen | 28.8 |
| 12 | Bavaria | 28.0 |
| 13 | Brandenburg | 27.4 |
| 14 | Lower Saxony | 26.7 |
| 15 | Schleswig-Holstein | 26.6 |
| 16 | Baden-Württemberg | 24.8 |
Deaths under 70 per 100,000 men (2024)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 11 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths under 70 per 100,000 men |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Lower Saxony | 282 |
| 9 | Berlin | 274 |
| 10 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 273 |
| 11 | Schleswig-Holstein | 272 |
| 12 | Hamburg | 261 |
| 13 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 252 |
| 14 | Hesse | 250 |
Share of people 15+ who smoke (2025)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 6 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of people 15+ who smoke |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Thuringia | 23.0% |
| 4 | Bremen | 21.9% |
| 5 | Saxony | 20.8% |
| 6 | Schleswig-Holstein | 20.2% |
| 7 | Berlin | 20.0% |
| 8 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 19.4% |
| 9 | Hesse | 19.2% |
Share of adults with obesity (BMI over 30) (2025)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 6 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of adults with obesity (BMI over 30) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Saarland | 19.3% |
| 4 | Saxony-Anhalt | 19.1% |
| 5 | Lower Saxony | 18.7% |
| 6 | Schleswig-Holstein | 18.6% |
| 7 | Brandenburg | 18.5% |
| 8 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 18.2% |
| 9 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 18.0% |
Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) (2021)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 11 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised, all causes) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Bremen | 1,054.3 |
| 9 | Lower Saxony | 1,040.4 |
| 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 |
Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 4 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Cancer deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saxony-Anhalt | 276.1 |
| 2 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 267.2 |
| 3 | Bremen | 253.1 |
| 4 | Schleswig-Holstein | 251.6 |
| 5 | Hamburg | 248.4 |
| 6 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 247.1 |
| 7 | Berlin | 244.6 |
Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 7 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Heart and circulatory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Saxony | 384.5 |
| 5 | Lower Saxony | 383.1 |
| 6 | Brandenburg | 376.9 |
| 7 | Schleswig-Holstein | 369.6 |
| 8 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 364.5 |
| 9 | Bremen | 364.0 |
| 10 | Hesse | 363.5 |
Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 9 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Respiratory deaths per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Bremen | 77.9 |
| 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 |
Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) (2023)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 8 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Suicides per 100,000 (age-standardised) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 13.0 |
| 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 |
Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 (2023)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 2 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Deaths from accidents, injury and violence per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamburg | 78.0 |
| 2 | Schleswig-Holstein | 63.8 |
| 3 | Saxony | 62.4 |
| 4 | Brandenburg | 58.2 |
| 5 | Bavaria | 52.5 |
| 6 | Saxony-Anhalt | 52.1 |
| 7 | Baden-Württemberg | 51.7 |
Infant deaths per 1,000 live births (2023)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 16 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Infant deaths per 1,000 live births |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Bavaria | 2.9 |
| 11 | Berlin | 2.9 |
| 12 | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 2.9 |
| 13 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 2.8 |
| 14 | Saxony-Anhalt | 2.7 |
| 15 | Saxony | 2.3 |
| 16 | Schleswig-Holstein | 2.3 |
Road deaths per million people (2024)
Schleswig-Holstein ranks 11 of 16, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Road deaths per million people |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Hesse | 32 |
| 9 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 31 |
| 10 | Baden-Württemberg | 30 |
| 11 | Schleswig-Holstein | 29 |
| 12 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 27 |
| 13 | Saarland | 24 |
| 14 | Hamburg | 21 |
More on Schleswig-Holstein: 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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