Is euthanasia legal in Germany?

Assisted dying only

Active euthanasia is illegal, but assisted suicide is legal following a 2020 court ruling.

Germany is one of 2 countries classified “Assisted dying only” for euthanasia — 5% of the 38 with data. (Also searched as assisted dying.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Legality of euthanasia
Last checked
17 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 following the passage of a bill in 2009.
Netherlands
Euthanasia legal Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are legal in the Netherlands since 2001.
Czech Republic
Illegal Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal and considered homicide under the Criminal Code.
Belgium
Euthanasia legal Euthanasia has been legal in Belgium since 2002, with cases occurring regularly since then.
Switzerland
Assisted dying only Physician-assisted suicide is legal if the motive is not selfish, while active euthanasia is not explicitly legalized.
Poland
Illegal Active euthanasia is forbidden and treated as a milder form of murder under the Penal Code.

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.