According to the 2022 census, at least 16,800 Germans are over 100 years old. With medical advances and growing prosperity, more and more people are getting older. The majority are women.
The fact that Germany is aging is also reflected in the increase in the number of centenarians. The Federal Statistical Office reports that the number will increase by more than a quarter between 2011 and 2022. There will be at least 16,800 citizens by the census deadline in May 2022, compared to 13,400 in the previous census in 2011.
According to statistics, people in this age group live in their own homes more often than before. More than half still live in private households, up 10 percentage points from 2011. Meanwhile, just over 40%, or 7,000 people, live in shared accommodation such as nursing homes.
The woman is taller Life expectancy
Statistics also reflect that women live longer than men. The percentage of women living to be 100 years old or older has decreased slightly, but is still much higher than men at 85%.
The Federal Statistical Office cites improved living conditions, increased prosperity and advances in healthcare as reasons for the increase in the elderly population in Germany. Nine out of ten centenarians lived in cities with a population of more than 5,000, and one third lived in cities with a population of more than 100,000.
Wurzburg is ahead
Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony have the largest number of centenarians in terms of total population. The city with the largest number of centenarians (46 per 100,000 inhabitants) is Würzburg in Bavaria.
According to the 2022 Census, 93% of centenarians (about 15,500 people) were in a relationship at least some of their lives. But now, more than eight in 10 are widowed or single. Nearly 700 are still married.
The census is conducted approximately every ten years.
The last mandatory census of all citizens was conducted in Germany in 1987. However, there was considerable protest.
Since then, the Federal Bureau of Statistics has conducted a large-scale census every ten years or so, based on statistics from the National Registry. In addition, the 2022 census surveyed more than ten million people online, including questions about educational qualifications, apartment size, and employment.
