Do Germans really take 19.5 days of sick leave per year?

German workers average 19.5 days of sick leave annually, a figure derived from statutory health insurance records of 2.4 million members. While this number includes calendar days rather than just working days, the German Statistics Office confirms a high average of approximately 15 working days per year. Global welfare stats expert Lukas Lehner explains that these high figures, which peak in Norway at 28 working days, are driven by generous sick pay policies and job security for long-term illnesses rather than the actual health of the population. In contrast, countries like Romania and Greece report less than one day, often because workers cannot afford to lose income. These statistics serve as indicators of national labor laws and benefit systems rather than measures of workforce health or productivity. The OECD harmonizes this data by doubling survey results to account for underreporting, yet significant international variations persist due to systemic differences in how long-term absences are recorded.