Short answer
In 2025, around 216,200 PhD students in Germany were working on a doctorate, and 28,800 doctorates were completed in the examination year 2025. The number of doctoral candidates rose by 1.8 percent. The largest field groups are human medicine and mathematics and natural sciences. The two figures describe different things, and that is important to know.
| Key fact | Value | Status and source |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral candidates 2025 | 216,243 people | Destatis table HI 2.5.111, status 7 September 2026 |
| Change from 2024 | +3,806 people (+1.8 percent) | calculated from the table |
| Completed doctorates, examination year 2025 | 28,800 | Destatis press release, 2 October 2026 |
| Doctoral candidates with foreign citizenship 2025 | 54,200 (25 percent) | Destatis press release, 26 August 2026 |
| Share of women among doctoral candidates 2025 | 49.2 percent | calculated from male and female figures |
How many PhD students in Germany are there right now?
The number of doctoral candidates, that is people in the doctoral phase, was 216,243 in 2025. Of these, 109,613 were men and 106,187 were women. Since 2021 the sum of both figures rose from 199,124 to 215,800, and the share of women grew from 47.5 to 49.2 percent. The table shows the development of the sum of male and female candidates.
| Year | Male | Female | Total | Share of women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 104,519 | 94,605 | 199,124 | 47.5% |
| 2022 | 106,415 | 98,027 | 204,442 | 47.9% |
| 2023 | 105,847 | 98,563 | 204,410 | 48.2% |
| 2024 | 108,666 | 103,227 | 211,893 | 48.7% |
| 2025 | 109,613 | 106,187 | 215,800 | 49.2% |
Which fields are the largest?
Human medicine and health sciences lead with 63,776 doctoral candidates, followed by mathematics and natural sciences with 47,179 and engineering with 40,107. The table shows the sum of male and female candidates by field group. Doctoral candidates without gender information are not included. In 2025 there were 443 of them.
| Field group | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities | 21,465 | 21,732 | 21,149 | 21,098 | 20,673 |
| Law and administrative sciences | 9,708 | 9,827 | 9,843 | 9,955 | 10,039 |
| Economics | 8,941 | 8,833 | 8,714 | 8,837 | 8,743 |
| Social and behavioural sciences, sport | 15,768 | 16,166 | 15,538 | 15,828 | 15,808 |
| Mathematics and natural sciences | 46,538 | 47,050 | 46,899 | 47,565 | 47,179 |
| Human medicine and health sciences | 51,564 | 53,659 | 54,610 | 60,048 | 63,776 |
| Agriculture, forestry and nutrition sciences | 5,471 | 5,684 | 5,688 | 5,397 | 5,433 |
| Engineering | 35,505 | 37,413 | 37,988 | 39,180 | 40,107 |
| Arts and art studies | 3,779 | 3,865 | 3,716 | 3,748 | 3,622 |
| Outside the subject classification | 385 | 213 | 265 | 237 | 420 |
How are men and women distributed by field in 2025?
The distribution differs sharply between field groups. In human medicine and the humanities women are in the majority, while in engineering they make up just under a quarter. The female share is calculated from the male and female figures.
| Field group, 2025 | Male | Female | Female share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humanities | 9,028 | 11,645 | 56.3% |
| Law and administrative sciences | 5,800 | 4,239 | 42.2% |
| Economics | 5,145 | 3,598 | 41.2% |
| Social and behavioural sciences, sport | 6,046 | 9,762 | 61.8% |
| Mathematics and natural sciences | 25,870 | 21,309 | 45.2% |
| Human medicine and health sciences | 24,049 | 39,727 | 62.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry and nutrition sciences | 1,891 | 3,542 | 65.2% |
| Engineering | 30,333 | 9,774 | 24.4% |
| Arts and art studies | 1,227 | 2,395 | 66.1% |
| Outside the subject classification | 224 | 196 | 46.7% |
How do you read the table correctly?
The figures are easy to misread if you do not look at year, field and gender separately. The following example shows the way from the total to the female share in one field.
- Total in 2025 for human medicine: 24,049 men and 39,727 women, together 63,776 doctoral candidates.
- Female share: 39,727 divided by 63,776 gives around 62.3 percent.
- Engineering in comparison: 9,774 women out of 40,107 doctoral candidates gives around 24.4 percent.
- The difference between fields is therefore larger than the change within one year.
Why are doctoral candidates not the same as doctorates?
Doctoral candidates are people who are currently working on their dissertation or are involved in the procedure. A doctorate only counts as completed once the examination has been passed. That is why 216,243 doctoral candidates and 28,800 completed doctorates in 2025 are two different quantities. Several years can belong to one doctorate, which is why the number of doctoral candidates is much higher than the number of completions per year.
Which figures are still missing?
The sources consulted give the 28,800 doctorates only as a total. We did not find a breakdown by field and gender for completed doctorates. There is also no stock figure for all doctors in Germany. These gaps are named in the review section and will only be filled once a primary source with a status date is available.
How to read the figures correctly
The figures describe doctoral candidates in one year, not all doctorates that began or were completed in that year. A stock grows or shrinks with posts, scholarships and completions, so changes from one year to the next are only partly meaningful. The sum of field groups and gender does not exactly equal the total in every case, because some details are missing. Where that is the case, the guide names the difference. For your own research, look at the table itself, not just the headline.
Frequently asked questions
How many PhD students are there in Germany?
In 2025 there were 216,243 doctoral candidates at German universities, 3,806 more than in 2024.
How many doctorates were completed in 2025?
In the examination year 2025 there were 28,800, which is 700 more than the year before.
Is there a total number of all doctors?
Not in the sources consulted. The official figures describe doctoral candidates per year and completed doctorates per examination year.
Where can I find the figures to download?
The source data come from Destatis table HI 2.5.111 in the federal data portal (BMFTR), reporting years 2021 to 2025, status according to the page 7 September 2026. The totals also appear in two Destatis press releases: Doctoral candidates 2025 (press release No. 307) and Doctorates in the examination year 2025 (press release No. 352). We do not offer a download of our own for this page.
Related guides
- Doctorate in Germany: Paths, doctoral titles and requirements (in German)
- Financing a doctorate: Position, scholarship or own funds (in German)
- Dr. or Ph.D.: Which doctoral title you may use (in German)
- Doctoral title abbreviations: From Dr. rer. nat. to Dr. h. c. (in German)
Sources and checks
- Destatis, table HI 2.5.111 “Doctoral candidates by field group, gender and employment status at the university of doctorate”, federal data portal (BMFTR), reporting years 2021 to 2025, status 7 September 2026. GENESIS number not stated.
- Destatis, press release No. 307 of 26 August 2026 (doctoral candidates 2025, 25 percent foreign share).
- Destatis, press release No. 352 of 2 October 2026 (doctorates in the examination year 2025, 28,800).
- Total stock of doctoral degrees: Not found, not added.
Information, not individual advice.
Editorial team: Academycon · Last updated: October 2026
If you have questions about financing a doctorate, the next step is in the Academycon online check.
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
