Is euthanasia legal in Germany?

Assisted dying only

Assisted suicide is illegal in Germany, but the 2020 ruling legalized passive euthanasia under certain conditions.

Germany is one of 4 countries classified “Assisted dying only” for euthanasia — 10% of the 40 with data. (Also searched as assisted dying.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Legality of euthanasia
Last checked
15 September 2026
How it was classified
Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.

Nearby countries

Luxembourg
Euthanasia legal Euthanasia is legal in Luxembourg for terminally ill patients with approval from doctors and experts.
Netherlands
Euthanasia legal Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, including physician-assisted suicide.
Czech Republic
Illegal Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in Czechia and considered homicide under criminal law.
Belgium
Euthanasia legal Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002, including for terminally ill children under strict conditions.
Switzerland
Assisted dying only Physician-assisted suicide is legal, but active euthanasia is not.
Poland
Illegal Active euthanasia is illegal and treated as murder, with leniency possible for terminally ill patients.

Other laws in Germany

Abortion
Legal on request
Suicide Laws
Not a crime
FGM Laws
Specifically banned
Surrogacy
Banned

Every law in Germany → · Where is euthanasia legal? →

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.