Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz this week announced a crackdown on the high number of sick days the country takes.

The move follows research published in January by the Berlin-based IGES Institute, showing that German workers now take an average of 19.5 working days as sick leave per year.

That figure is a noticeable increase from about 13 days in 2018.

As part of Merz's proposals, from January next year, workers will no longer be able to get a sick note over the phone. They must visit a doctor in person and on the first day of illness. 

The measure adds a layer of difficulty to taking time off work due to sickness. 

Merz said the high number of absences is hurting Germany’s economy, adding that, “We can no longer afford this competitive disadvantage caused by long absences from work."

He framed the crackdown as a bid to restore what he calls “fairness and functionality” to the labor market, allowing employers and health insurers to react to repeated absences more assertively.

The change is part of a larger package of reforms to health and social security programs agreed by the governing coalition, made up of Merz's conservative alliance and the center-left Social Democrats.

How does Germany's sick leave system work?

Germany has one of the world's most generous sick leave systems. 

Workers are entitled to 100% of their salary for up to six weeks of sick leave, paid by the employer. A doctor’s note is usually required after three days of absence.

After six weeks of sick leave, statutory health insurance takes over, paying about 70% of gross pay with a cap for up to 78 weeks within three years for the same illness.

As well as preventing workers from losing income due to ill health, the system also encourages proper recovery to prevent staff from spreading their germs at work.

Germany's system contrasts with that of many other countries.

In the United States, there is no federal paid sick leave requirement. Many workers get none or only a few days, depending on their employer.

In India, paid sick leave is often just a few days per year under labor laws. Many short absences are unpaid and rules vary widely by company, sector and state.

At home, Germany's sick leave system is often criticized by politicians and business leaders as leading to higher absenteeism, which they say hurts productivity and competitiveness.

Germany's economy is struggling due to rising competition from China, geopolitics and high energy costs, among many issues. The government is grappling with ways to boost growth. 

Critics of Merz's reforms, however, argue that the crackdown risks stigmatizing legitimate illness and shifting blame for the country's economic woes onto an increasingly aging population of workers.

Why has Germany become the 'sick man' of Europe?

One major reason for the rise in sick leave is better reporting, IGES wrote in its report published in January.

This is thanks to the country's new electronic sick note system (eAU), which took full effect in 2023.

Doctors now send certificates directly to the health insurer and employers can retrieve them digitally, making tracking more accurate.

IGES argued that many short absences that previously went unrecorded on paper are now captured in the data.

Another factor is a change in behavior during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as workers became more aware of spreading germs.

People are now more likely to stay home when they have a cold or flu, which is positive for public health but increases recorded sick days, IGES found.

Mental health issues have also grown as a cause of absences. Musculoskeletal problems, such as back pain, remain one of the leading reasons for calling in sick.

According to IGES research, which was conducted for health insurer DAK-Gesundheit, healthcare workers have the highest rates of sick leave.

Those in data processing and information technology have some of the lowest.

How does Germany compare with other countries?

The easiest way to compare is by using data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

However, the OECD calculates sick leave from 7-day weeks, rather than working days, so it's not a direct comparison to the IGES data.

According to the OECD data, Germany reached an average of 3.5 weeks, or 24.5 days, last year. From that, the country is certainly not the worst offender, with Norway, Spain and Slovenia reaching five weeks and above in 2025.

Finland (4.8 weeks), France (4.1), Portugal (4.0) and Belgium (3.9) also have higher absenteeism rates than Germany.

Many Eastern and Southern European states have much lower sick leave rates, with Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Greece and Hungary averaging a week or less per year, while Polish workers take an average of 1.8 weeks (8 or 9 days).

The OECD data, which covers 32 of its 38 member countries, shows Americans took 1.1 weeks of sick leave in 2024, the most recent year that figures are available.

Edited by: Andreas Becker