Federal Statistical Office: Share of women among habilitation holders declines slightly to 35 percent

According to the Federal Statistical Office, habilitation holders in Germany were on average 42 years old, similar to previous years. A habilitation is an academic examination that serves as proof of a special qualification for teaching and research in a specific field. Upon completion, researchers generally qualify for a professorship.

As in previous years, most habilitations were completed in the subject group of human medicine/health sciences, which accounted for 58 percent of all habilitations. In this area, the share of women, at 36 percent, was slightly above the average across all subject groups. Compared to the previous year, human medicine once again recorded the highest number of habilitations, as the Federal Statistical Office notes: „Humanmedizin bleibt Spitzenreiter bei Habilitationen.

Distribution by subject: Human medicine dominates

The share of women in the humanities was also above average, at 39 percent. Thirteen percent of all habilitations were completed in the humanities subject group. By contrast, the share of women in other subject areas was lower; the Federal Statistical Office notes: „In einem anderen Bereich sind die Zahlen noch niedriger.

The area of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (MINT) accounted for 16 percent of all habilitations in Germany in 2025. The MINT area, which represents scientific-technical research, thus remains significantly behind human medicine, as the Federal Statistical Office reports.

The rising number of international researchers also contributed to the overall slight increase in habilitation figures. A total of 192 habilitations were successfully completed by international researchers in 2025. Their share of all habilitation holders thus stood at 12 percent, up from 11 percent the previous year, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office.

International researchers

Despite the slight increase in overall figures, the gender ratio among habilitation holders in Germany remains unevenly distributed. As the Federal Statistical Office emphasizes: „Doch nur jede dritte Habilitierte ist weiblich." The decline in the share of women by one percentage point compared to the previous year is admittedly small, but it does not continue the trend of recent years.

Gender ratio and structures

The data from the Federal Statistical Office also shed light on the persistent structural differences between subject groups. While women complete habilitations comparatively more often in human medicine and the humanities, they remain significantly underrepresented in other disciplines. This distribution reflects the gender-specific subject structure within the German scientific system.

The habilitation is traditionally regarded in Germany as an important prerequisite for a permanent professorship at a university. Since the average habilitation holder is 42 years old, the statistics also reflect the long qualification pathway in an academic career. Changes in the share of women can therefore indicate longer-term trends in the promotion of early-career researchers.