Germany’s universities and higher education institutions saw a continued increase in doctoral candidates in 2024, with a total of 212,400 individuals engaged in doctoral studies. This represents a four percent, or 7,500 person, rise compared to the previous year, according to data released Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office. The proportion of female doctoral candidates remained stable at 49 percent. The average age of doctoral candidates, for both men and women, was 31 years. Notably, approximately one quarter, or 52,800, of all doctoral candidates held international citizenship.
The largest field of study for doctoral researchers was medicine and health sciences, attracting 60,300 candidates – representing 28 percent of the total. This was followed by mathematics and natural sciences with 47,700 (22 percent), engineering with 39,200 (18 percent) and law, economics and social sciences with 33,300 (16 percent). Gender distribution varied substantially between disciplines; engineering was dominated by male candidates, with 77 percent, while arts and humanities saw two-thirds female representation.
In 2024, 34,700 individuals commenced their first doctoral studies, an eight percent increase from 2023. The proportion of international students beginning doctoral programs was particularly high, at 9,500 – representing 27 percent of all new doctoral candidates, higher than the overall percentage of international doctoral students.
A significant concentration of doctoral activity is observed at a relatively small number of institutions. Seventeen percent of all doctoral procedures were conducted at just four universities. Leading the way was Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich with 9,700 doctoral candidates, closely followed by the Technical University of Munich (9,400), the University of Heidelberg (9,300) and RWTH Aachen University (7,900).