In Germany, around a million people die every year. But what about? A look at the statistics of the most common causes of death in 2022.
Cancer remained the second most common type of death in Germany in 2022, but the chances of a cure appear to be increasing. In the year before last, around 231,200 people died of the disease the Federal Statistical Office announced on Friday in Wiesbaden. More people died only from diseases of the cardiovascular system. Cancer was responsible for 22 percent of all deaths.
At the same time, the chances of recovery improved overall, as the statisticians reported. The number of cancer deaths increased by a total of around 21,000 per year in the 20 years between 2002 and 2022, but this is probably due to the aging of the population. The proportion of cancer deaths in the total number of deaths fell in the same period – from 25 percent in 2002 to 22 percent in 2022.
Hospitalizations for cancer are less common
The number of inpatient hospital treatments for cancer fell to its lowest level in 20 years in 2022, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on the occasion of World Cancer Day on Sunday. A good 1.4 million patients were treated for cancer in clinics, a decrease of two percent compared to the previous year in 2021. According to statisticians, this could also be an indication of improved prevention and treatment. The overall number of hospital stays remained almost constant.
Cancer was also the fourth most common reason for inpatient hospital treatment in 2022. This diagnosis accounted for eight percent of all hospital stays. More often, only diseases of the cardiovascular system were treated in hospital at 15 percent, as were injuries or poisonings and diseases of the digestive system, at 10 percent each.
Lung cancer is the most common cause of death
There was a preponderance of men among cancer deaths. According to statistics, 54 percent of those who died as a result of the disease in 2022 were male and 46 percent were female. In the 40 to 79 year old age group, cancer was the most common cause of death, accounting for 35 percent.
As in previous years, the most common cause of cancer-related death was lung and bronchial cancer with a good 45,200 deaths. This disease alone was responsible for a fifth of cancer-related deaths or a good four percent of deaths overall in the year before last, 2022. The most common cancer-related causes of death also included colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer.