In Germany there were 230 400 deaths from cancer in 2024, a rise of 10.1 % compared with 209 300 in 2004, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported.
Although the absolute number is higher, cancer is responsible for fewer deaths among younger and middle‑aged people than it was 20 years ago. The age‑standardised mortality rate fell from 322.4 per 100 000 inhabitants in 2004 to 273.5 in 2024.
“Age‑dependent trends”
For almost every age group the mortality rate from cancer declined. The only exceptions were the 5‑to‑9‑year‑olds, who saw a slight increase from 2.2 to 2.4 deaths per 100 000, and those aged 90 and over, whose rate rose from 1 995.6 to 2 073.7 per 100 000. The overall drop is attributed to better treatment, earlier detection and preventive measures.
“Cancer as a proportion of all deaths”
Cancer deaths now account for 22.9 % of all deaths, down from 25.6 % in 2004. Still, it remains the second most common cause of death after conditions of the circulatory system, which claimed 339 200 deaths (33.7 %). In the 5‑to‑14‑year‑old and 35‑to‑74‑year‐old groups, cancer accounted for 23.9 % of all deaths, and more than one third (35.8 %) of deaths in the 35‑to‑74 age range were due to cancer.
“Leading causes of cancer death”
Lung and bronchial cancer were responsible for 45 100 deaths, representing 19.6 % of all cancer deaths. Other frequent causes were:
” Colorectal cancer – 23 600 deaths
” Pancreatic cancer – 19 500 deaths
” Breast cancer – 18 700 deaths
” Prostate cancer – 15 500 deaths
“Hospital treatment of cancer”
About 1.45 million cancer patients were treated in hospitals in 2024, a modest 1.2 % increase on the previous year. Compared with 2004, the total number of hospitalisations for cancer fell by 5.6 % (from 1.54 million). Cancer caused one of every twelve hospital stays (8.1 % of 17.9 million treatment episodes). Cardiovascular diseases were the most common reason for inpatient care, accounting for 14.8 % of all hospitalisations.
“Age distribution of hospitalised patients”
The majority of cancer patients were aged 60‑79, comprising 55.5 % of all cases in 2024. Patients 80 and older made up 20.3 %, while 40‑to‑59‑year‑olds accounted for 19.0 %. Only 5.2 % of hospitalised cancer patients were under 40.
“Cancer‑specific trends”
In 2024, the incidence of hospitalised colorectal cancers increased among younger adults. In the 15‑to‑44 age group, colorectal‑cancer treatment rates per 100 000 rose, whereas rates fell in older groups. The most pronounced increases were in the 20‑to‑24 year olds (from 2.6 to 3.6 per 100 000) and the 35‑to‑39 year olds (from 21.8 to 27.5 per 100 000).
“Proportion of treatments by diagnosis”
Among all cancer patients in 2024, the most frequent diagnoses were:
” Lung and bronchial cancer – 12.4 % of patients
” Colorectal cancer – 9.5 %
” Breast cancer – 8.6 %
Other common treatments were for skin cancer (8.3 %), bladder cancer (7.0 %) and prostate cancer (6.7 %).