Life expectancy in Germany: Gap between Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt

Berlin. Hardly anywhere else in Germany is the difference in newborn life expectancy as great as between Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt. Statistically speaking, men in the southwest can expect to live four years longer than those in the eastern state. Experts predict that this gap will not change anytime soon.

According to a response by the federal government to a parliamentary question from the Left Party in the Bundestag, life expectancy at birth for men in Saxony-Anhalt is 75.49 years – the lowest in the country. In Baden-Württemberg, by contrast, it is 79.64 years. For women in the two federal states, the difference was not as great, at two years.

Important to note: "Life expectancy at birth" summarizes mortality across all age groups in a single value. This value is independent of the age structure and size of the population. Despite its name, it is not a prognosis for today's newborns.

The values from the two federal states refer to the average life expectancy determined in official statistics from 2021 to 2023. More recent statistics also confirm this gap between Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt. According to the Federal Statistical Office, life expectancy at birth nationwide in 2024 averaged 78.9 years for men and 83.5 years for women.

Life expectancy at birth does not mean that babies born today will live that long.

Source: Elisa Schu/dpa

According to the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), there was a phase of strong convergence in women's life expectancy in the two federal states after German reunification, which ended in the early 2000s. "For men, the trends between these two federal states seem to be diverging. Therefore, there is no indication that these two regions will converge in the near future," said Pavel Grigoriev, head of the Mortality Research Group at the BiB.

To catch up with Baden-Württemberg, it's not enough for life expectancy in Saxony-Anhalt to increase, Grigoriev told the German Press Agency. "Progress in life expectancy in Saxony-Anhalt would have to be significantly faster than in Baden-Württemberg."

The reasons for how old people can live in certain regions vary. The Federal Institute cites, for example, the composition of the population in terms of education, cultural background, and age structure. However, factors such as economic development, the health care system, and ecological conditions also play a role.

A comparison of gross domestic product, the total value of all goods and services produced, shows, for example: In Baden-Württemberg, goods and services worth around 650.2 billion euros were produced last year, while in Saxony-Anhalt the figure was 79.4 billion.

But the population's health behavior, such as their approach to smoking, alcohol, diet, and exercise, also played an important role, Grigoriev said. "In fact, Baden-Württemberg was the region with one of the lowest smoking-related mortality rates in Germany."

Janina Böttger, a Left Party member of the Bundestag from Saxony-Anhalt, criticized: "While wealthy people in Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria often live many years longer, people in poorer regions have worse prospects – health-wise, socially, and economically." This inequality is measurable – and politically unacceptable.

Böttger said it is the state's responsibility to ensure social equality, especially in disadvantaged regions. "Place of residence should not determine life expectancy and life chances."

According to expert Grigoriev, regional differences in mortality generally exist in all countries. "In international comparison, the regional differences in Germany are rather small." Nevertheless, they are considerable – especially when comparing the new and old federal states, such as Saxony-Anhalt and Baden-Württemberg.

RND/dpa