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Cancer remains Second Leading Cause of Death in Germany,Cases Near 20-Year High
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Despite advancements in treatment and early detection,cancer-malignant neoplasms-remains the second leading cause of death in Germany,with 238,388 people succumbing in 2024. New data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Monday, ahead of World Cancer Day on Febuary 4th, reveals that while overall cancer mortality has decreased in most age groups as 2004, the number of deaths remains stubbornly high and is the fourth highest recorded since that year.
A Slight Increase in 2024
The figures show a slight increase in cancer deaths in 2024, with 100 more deaths than the previous year – a 0.04 percent rise. This follows a 0.5 percent decline in 2023, as reported by VersicherungsJournal on January 30, 2025. The peak number of cancer deaths this century was recorded the prior year, on February 5, 2024. there has been a ten percent increase in cancer cases over the past two decades, with approximately 21,064 more cases reported in 2024 compared to 2004.
The proportion of all deaths attributable to cancer reached 22.9 percent in 2024, a 0.5 percentage point increase from the previous year. while this is higher than the record low observed in 2023, it remains below the peak of 26 percent recorded in 2010, when approximately 221,600 of the 858,500 total deaths were due to cancer.
Aging Population a Key Factor
According to official sources, the long-term increase in cancer deaths is “mainly due to the aging of society.” This is supported by age-standardized data, which shows 273.5 cancer deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024, compared to 322.4 per 100,000 in 2004. This suggests that while the rate of cancer deaths is decreasing when adjusted for age, the sheer number of older individuals – who are more susceptible to cancer – is driving the overall increase in deaths.
Specific Cancer Types Dominate
Lung and bronchial cancer-over 45,100 fatalities – nearly a fifth of all cancer deaths-were the most prevalent causes of cancer-related deaths in 2024. Colon cancer followed with approximately 23,600 deaths, while pancreatic and breast cancer each contributed over and under 19,000 deaths, respectively. Prostate cancer accounted for around 15,500 deaths.
Data indicates that deaths from lung and prostate cancer were higher in 2022 than in recent years. Notably, deaths from pancreatic cancer reached a seven-year high, marking the fourth consecutive year of increases.
Mortality Trends and Treatment Rates
While cancer mortality has decreased in almost all age groups since 2004, there have been slight increases among children aged five to nine (from 2.2 to 2.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants) and individuals aged 90 and over (from 1,995.6 to 2,073.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants). “The reasons for the decline in mortality are likely to be improved treatment methods, early detection and prevention options,” a senior statistician explained.
Inpatient hospital treatment for cancer saw a 1.2 percent increase in 2024, reaching 1.45 million cases.however, this figure remains approximately six percent below pre-pandemic levels in 2019, when 1.55 million treatment cases were documented.Similarly, inpatient treatment rates per 100,000 inhabitants have decreased in most age groups, with the exception of those aged 80 to 84 and 85 to 89, who are now receiving
