At the end of 2024, there were approximately 17,900 centenarians living in Germany. Their number increased significantly by 24 percent compared to 2011, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden.
The proportion of the 100-plus age group within the total population has also risen. In 2011, there were 1.8 people aged 100 or older per 10,000 inhabitants; by 2024, this figure had increased to 2.1.
At the end of 2024, the highest numbers of very elderly people lived in the most populous federal states: North Rhine-Westphalia (3,900), Bavaria (2,400), and Baden-Württemberg (2,300). However, when considering their share of the total population, Bavaria ranks last among the federal states, with only 1.8 centenarians per 10,000 inhabitants.
Here, Hamburg leads with 2.9 centenarians per 10,000 inhabitants. A relatively high number of very elderly people was also recorded in Saxony (2.6 per 10,000) and Saarland (2.5).
The vast majority of centenarians are women. At the turn of the year, women accounted for 83.8 percent of this age group. In 2011, their share was even higher, at 87 percent. The Federal Office explained that life expectancy has increased significantly in the long term and is higher for women than for men.
Globally, the number and proportion of centenarians are also increasing, albeit at a lower level than in Germany. According to United Nations calculations, there were 0.4 centenarians per 10,000 inhabitants worldwide in 2011, rising to 0.7 people of this age by 2024. Accordingly, there were 587,000 people aged 100 or older worldwide in 2024.
The highest numbers of centenarians in 2024 were in Japan (121,000), the United States (70,000), and China (43,000). This means Japan has an exceptionally high number of super-seniors relative to its population size.
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