Germans Now Spend 10 Hours a Day Sitting

Time spent sitting in Germany has smashed its previous record: adults now spend an average of ten hours and 13 minutes seated on a working day. The new figure, released in the 2025 DKV Health Report, tops the nine-hour-58-minute benchmark recorded just two years earlier and confirms a steady rise detected since the first survey in 2015. Researchers from Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln and the University of Würzburg, who analysed interviews with more than 2,800 residents, warn that the additional 15 minutes per day accelerates risks for heart disease, type-2 diabetes and metabolic disorders.

The trend is most pronounced among 18- to 29-year-olds, who log more than 11 hours in chairs, lecture halls, trains and on sofas. Study author Ingo Froböse points out that screen-based work and evening streaming now overlap so completely that many young respondents seldom compensate with movement. When desk time surpasses eight hours, the team recommends at least 60 minutes of daily exercise, yet only 30 percent achieve that target.

Stress and diet undermine health gains

Long stretches of immobility are only part of the problem. The same survey shows that unhealthy eating patterns and high stress levels combine with Germany sitting time to erode overall wellbeing. Just one third of adults meet the dietary standards set by the German Nutrition Society, which emphasise fruit, vegetables, whole grains and modest meat intake. Meanwhile only 20 percent rate their stress management as healthy, a figure that drops to 14 percent among 30- to 45-year-olds who juggle careers and family commitments.

Alcohol and nicotine trends present a mixed picture. Roughly 80 percent of those questioned avoid cigarettes and vaping products, but only 29 percent steer clear of beer and wine. The 2025 study tightened its benchmarks by counting e-cigarettes for the first time and by redefining moderate drinking, exposing gaps that earlier waves masked. Researchers believe the stricter yardstick offers a truer snapshot of everyday choices.

Gender and age patterns in lifestyle

Women generally outperform men in four of the five lifestyle domains assessed. They smoke less, drink less and eat more nutritiously, which lifts their composite health score even though they report higher stress. Men, by contrast, record marginally better physical-activity numbers yet still fall short of recommended muscle-training sessions twice a week. Overall, three percent of women meet every benchmark, compared with one percent of men.

Generational contrasts also stand out. Respondents over 66 rank highest for balanced diets and calmer stress perception but sit only slightly less than the national average. Younger adults exhibit the reverse pattern: they show stronger abstinence from alcohol yet fare poorly on nutrition and stress management. These cross-currents help explain why merely two percent of the entire sample qualify as “fully healthy” under the report’s tight composite definition.

Methodology and benchmark shifts in 2025 report

The apparent plunge from 17 percent fully healthy in 2023 to two percent in 2025 partly reflects new research design. While earlier editions relied exclusively on telephone interviews, this year’s investigators split their sample between telephone and an online questionnaire. Project co-author Birgit Sperlich argues that web forms encourage more candid answers and reduce social desirability bias, particularly for sensitive topics such as drinking habits.

Benchmark revisions further sharpened the lens. Occasional alcohol, once tolerated, now disqualifies a respondent from the healthiest category, and vaping counts as smoking. When analysts recalculated 2025 data with the old thresholds and telephone responses alone, the share of fully healthy individuals rose to 12 percent, underscoring how measurement choices shape public-health headlines.

Experts call for action on sedentary culture

Specialists say reversing the Germany sitting time record will demand changes at home, school and work. Froböse advocates structured active breaks during office hours, mandatory physical-education credits at universities and urban design that favours cycling and walking. He emphasises that diet and movement reinforce each other: people who exercise regularly are likelier to prepare balanced meals and feel less psychological strain.

Public-health agencies plan to extend campaigns that encourage muscle-strengthening routines, because only a third of adults perform such workouts twice a week. Employers are also under pressure to rethink open-plan layouts dominated by seated screens. Without systemic shifts, researchers caution, the nation could face surging healthcare costs linked to sedentary disorders even as life expectancy edges upward.