Accessibility Check 2026: Germany Makes Progress but Falls Short of the Standard
Eight months after the new digital accessibility law came into force, a clear picture is emerging: measurable improvements are visible, yet comprehensive digital accessibility has not been achieved.
We analysed 245 websites across ten key sectors and reassessed them using the same methodology as in March 2025. Within one year, the share of fully accessible websites increased from 6.53 percent to 11.84 percent, nearly doubling. Nevertheless, only around one in eight websites currently meets the highest legal accessibility standards.
Comparability and Methodology
For our analysis, we selected websites from sectors that are central to broad segments of society: universities, city administrations, medical practices, pharmacies, online shops, email providers, real estate companies, public transport operators, law firms, and Bundesliga clubs.
The technical assessment was conducted using the Google Lighthouse tool. Ensuring comparability was essential: the same set of websites was analyzed in both survey periods. Changes can therefore be clearly attributed to actual developments rather than differences in sampling. The Lighthouse score reflects the technical baseline; a manual review could reveal additional accessibility barriers.
Quality Is Improving – but Only at the Top
In addition to the increase in fully accessible websites, overall quality has improved. The share of websites scoring at least 90 out of 100 points rose from 29.8 percent to 44.08 percent. At the same time, the average Lighthouse-Score across all analyzed websites increased from 85.2 to 89.06 points.
Extremely low scores have nearly disappeared. While a small proportion of websites scored below 50 points in the previous year, none of the analyzed sites now fall into this range. Basic technical deficiencies are therefore increasingly being addressed. However, full compliance with accessibility standards remains the exception. Improvements are concentrated primarily in the upper performance range. The final step toward full accessibility is often not consistently implemented.
Clear Progress in the Public Sector
The strongest momentum can be observed in the public sector. Universities increased the number of fully accessible websites from two to six. City administrations improved from three to six websites with a maximum score. Public transport operators raised their number of 100-point websites from five to seven.
These sectors also lead in average scores. Universities reach 91.86 points, real estate companies 91.81 points, public transport providers 91.73 points, and city administrations 91.26 points. These figures indicate a more systematic and strategic approach to digital accessibility standards in the public domain. Nevertheless, even here, full compliance with the highest accessibility standards has not yet been achieved across the board.
Limited Momentum in Health and Service Sectors
Less movement is evident in the healthcare sector. Medical practices once again do not achieve a single fully accessible website and record an average score of 84.79 points. Pharmacies reach 85.77 points, with only one website achieving the maximum score.
Email providers show no visible shift at the top level. They remain at two maximum scores and an average of 85.88 points.
Online shops show moderate improvement. The number of fully accessible websites increases from one to three, and the average score rises to 89.32 points. Law firms improve their average to 89.58 points but lose one top-rated website compared to the previous year. Real estate companies now include one fully accessible website and rank among the top performers with an average score of 91.81 points. Bundesliga clubs improve slightly but, with an average of 88.66 points, remain behind leading public institutions.
“Digital accessibility is not a technical detail but a structural prerequisite for social participation,” explains Sara Ramzani, Professor of Research and Quantitative Methods and Head of the Business Department at Gisma University of Applied Sciences. “When websites are inaccessible, they systematically exclude people, including individuals with disabilities, older users, international students, or people with temporary impairments. Our data show progress, but they also make clear that full digital inclusion has not yet been achieved. Organizations that consistently implement accessibility strengthen not only their legal compliance but also their innovative capacity, user orientation, and international competitiveness. Notably, many organizations are already technically very close to full accessibility but narrowly miss complete compliance,” Professor Ramzani adds. “This suggests that the remaining barriers are less about technological feasibility and more about prioritization, awareness, and governance structures. Closing this final gap does not require a fundamental overhaul, but clear responsibilities and sustained organizational commitment.”
About the Study
The analysis is based on a standardized evaluation using the Google Lighthouse tool. The homepage of each of the 245 websites across ten sectors was examined: email providers, online pharmacies, real estate companies, Bundesliga clubs, the 30 largest universities, public transport providers, city administrations of the 30 largest cities, the 50 largest online shops, medical practices, and law firms in the 30 largest cities.