Germans spend ten hours of their day sitting down. This is a health risk, as the new DKV report shows. It was compiled under the co-direction of a sports scientist from Würzburg.
How healthy is Germany? For the eighth time, the German health insurer DKV (Deutsche Krankenversicherung AG), the German Sport University Cologne and Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg have examined the health behaviour of Germans in a representative survey. Since 2010, the DKV Report has regularly analysed the population's physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and stress behaviour. Since 2014, sitting behaviour has also been included.
Alarming: Sitting Times in Germany
The DKV Report 2025 reveals drastic developments: The average time spent sitting has increased again from 598 minutes in 2023 to 613 minutes. This means that Germans spend an average of over ten hours sitting on a working day - almost two hours more than ten years ago. Only 30 per cent of "frequent sitters" manage to compensate for the long periods of sitting by engaging in sufficient physical activity. Due to their sitting and movement behaviour, 37 percent of those surveyed have an increased risk of death.
Dr Birgit Sperlich from the JMU Institute of Sports Science is the scientific co-leader of the report. Her research focuses on lack of exercise and the "sedentary lifestyle".
According to her, when it comes to sitting, it's the dose that makes the poison: "Sitting for long periods slows down our metabolism and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and mental illness - even with regular exercise. Studies show: You can only offset the health disadvantages of excessive sitting if you do one hour of moderate to intensive activity a day."
Professor Ingo Froböse from the German Sport University Cologne and co-leader of the report: "This dangerous trend must be stopped as a matter of urgency. We need a social change that leads away from sitting and enables an everyday life in which movement is allowed, supported and even rewarded."
Muscle Activity is Important
68 per cent of respondents meet the recommended requirements for physical activity. However, only 34 per cent fulfil the recommendations for muscle activity (at least twice a week). A total of 32 per cent achieve the combined physical activity recommendations of endurance and muscle activity.
Exercise in everyday life and structured endurance and muscle training are considered to be among the most effective strategies against many chronic lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mental illness. "Together with regular exercise, training our muscles is necessary for healthy ageing throughout our lives. We should no longer see it as an optional supplement to endurance training, but as a preventative duty," says Ingo Froböse.
Well-being Under Pressure
In the midst of times of crisis, the subjective well-being of the population is becoming a key issue. Only 59 per cent of those surveyed achieved a positive well-being score. While just over a third of male respondents report a reduced subjective well-being (37 per cent), this applies to almost half of all female respondents (46 per cent).
The figure for the over 66s is above average: 74 per cent report an increased subjective well-being. In contrast, the proportion is lowest among 30 to 45-year-olds (49 per cent).
Those who regularly walk or cycle and are also physically active in their leisure time report a higher level of subjective well-being.
Digital Health Literacy
Digital health literacy describes the ability to access digital health information and incorporate it into health-related decisions.
Overall, only 35 per cent of respondents have excellent digital health literacy. The younger the respondents, the better their digital health literacy. However, this is also a question of education: Only 29 per cent of respondents with a secondary school leaving certificate have excellent digital health literacy; among university graduates, the proportion rises to 43 per cent.
Despite this, although many people are able to find health information quickly online, assessing its trustworthiness is difficult: 58 per cent of respondents are unsure whether they can trust digital health sources.
"It is crucial to promote digital health skills and prevention in a targeted manner. At the same time, potential barriers in these two areas must be systematically removed. This is the only way for each individual to realise their full potential for a healthy life," says Frauke Fiegl, CEO of DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung AG.
Vaccinations Widely Recognised
In addition to digital health skills, the DKV Report 2025 also sheds light on the utilisation of preventive services: While vaccinations are recognised and are taken up by 79 percent, only 21 percent of respondents use structured preventive offers on exercise, nutrition, stress management or smoking cessation.
The main incentive for screening and preventive measures is the perceived health benefit, but financial hurdles, among other things, stand in the way of wider participation. Targeted awareness-raising on the subject and financial incentives could help to overcome these barriers.
The DKV Report
On behalf of the German health insurer DKV (Deutsche Krankenversicherung AG), the Institute for Exercise Therapy and Exercise-Oriented Prevention and Rehabilitation at the German Sport University Cologne, together with the Institute for Sports Science at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, has compiled the DKV Report for the eighth time this year. The opinion research institute HEUTE UND MORGEN GmbH conducted a representative survey of over 2,800 people across Germany from 11 February to 17 March 2025 on their lifestyle habits using guided and computer-assisted telephone and online interviews.
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The DKV Report 2025 and other materials are available for download at www.ergo.com
