According to AOK, the number of people suffering from depression in Germany rose to around 9.5 million in 2022 – the number has never been so high. This is still related to the corona pandemic.
According to the data compiled by the health insurance company AOK, around 9.5 million people were in Germany in 2022 “Health Atlas Germany” affected by depression. Over the past five years, the frequency of depression has increased continuously, said the AOK Scientific Institute (Wido).
While in 2017 11.8 percent of residents aged ten and over had a doctor-diagnosed depression, in 2022 the figure was already 12.5 percent – a new high. There was a significant increase in the pandemic years, particularly among the younger (10 to 24 years) and older age groups (from 65 years). “However, overall, many more older people are affected by depression,” says Wido managing director Helmut Schröder. Depression is still rare in young people.
The numbers reflect that young and older people were the particularly vulnerable groups in the pandemic, said Schröder. “Loneliness is a risk factor for the development of depression, and people in old age in particular were often alone and isolated during the pandemic.”
Women are affected more often than men
Across all age groups, women are more likely to suffer from depression than men. Among those aged 60 to 64, more than one in five women and almost one in six men are affected. The proportion of those affected is highest among women aged 80 to 84, at 27.7 percent of all women in this age group. Among men, the greatest prevalence was measured in the age group over 90 years, with a share of 17.6 percent.
Regional connections
Broken down by districts and independent cities, Offenbach has the highest proportion of depression in the local population at 17.7 percent, Nuremberg at 16.6 percent and Remscheid at 16.4 percent. The proportions are lowest in Heidelberg with 8.4 percent and the districts of Waldshut with 8.9 percent and Rotenburg an der Wümme with 9.2 percent.
Broken down by federal state, Saarland had the highest proportion of those affected at 14.2 percent; This is followed by Hamburg (13.5 percent) and Hesse (13.4 percent). The disease frequency is lowest in Saxony at 11.1 percent, followed by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (11.2 percent) and Brandenburg (11.4 percent).
The economic damage is immense
The importance of the illness is also reflected in the economic costs: According to the latest statistics on illness costs from the Federal Statistical Office, depression accounted for 9.5 billion euros. This corresponds to 2.2 percent of all medical costs.
In addition to the direct medical costs, there are indirect costs due to days missed due to illness. With an average of 43 days per case, days lost due to depression are at the top of the list of illnesses that cause incapacity to work.
The short one 150-page “German Health Atlas” on the topic of depression was published in the run-up to World Mental Health Day.
