Germany’s healthcare statistics provide a glimpse into the strength and effectiveness of its renowned healthcare system. Known for its robustness and comprehensiveness, Germany’s healthcare system combines statutory health insurance and private health insurance, ensuring widespread access to high-quality healthcare services. These statistics shed light on various aspects, including the coverage and utilization of healthcare services, life expectancy, disease prevalence, and the emphasis on preventive care.
Additionally, Germany’s healthcare statistics show how much health is valued. The emphasis on preventive care and early intervention reflects a proactive approach to maintaining well-being and addressing health concerns before they become more severe.
Brief Overview
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Germany Population Statistics
According to the most recent data from the Federal Agency of Statistics in Germany, the population in the country has reached 83,3 million, where 42,8 million are women, and 41,5 are men.
| Year | Total | Germans | Foreigners | ||||
| Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total | |
| 2021 | 83,237,124 | 41,066,785 | 42,170,339 | 72,344,071 | 35,344,785 | 36,999,286 | 10,893,053 |
| 2020 | 83,155,031 | 41,026,519 | 42,128,512 | 72,569,978 | 35,449,739 | 37,120,239 | 10,585,053 |
| 2019 | 83,166,711 | 41,037,613 | 42,129,098 | 72,768,689 | 35,540,674 | 37,228,015 | 10,398,022 |
| 2018 | 83,019,213 | 40,966,691 | 42,052,522 | 72,929,921 | 35,612,690 | 37,317,231 | 10,089,292 |
| 2017 | 82,792,351 | 40,843,565 | 41,948,786 | 73,113,483 | 35,696,445 | 37,417,038 | 9,678,868 |
| 2016 | 82,521,653 | 40,697,118 | 41,824,535 | 73,301,664 | 35,787,654 | 37,514,010 | 9,219,989 |
| 2015 | 82,175,684 | 40,514,123 | 41,661,561 | 73,523,726 | 35,909,978 | 37,613,748 | 8,651,958 |
| 2014 | 81,197,537 | 39,835,457 | 41,362,080 | 73,657,763 | 35,955,242 | 37,702,521 | 7,539,774 |
| 2013 | 80,767,463 | 39,556,923 | 41,210,540 | 73,752,227 | 35,981,865 | 37,770,362 | 7,015,236 |
| 2012 | 80,523,746 | 39,380,976 | 41,142,770 | 73,880,047 | 36,017,528 | 37,862,519 | 6,643,699 |
Information source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis).
The table presents population statistics for Germany, including the total population of Germans, and foreigners, categorized by gender, for the most recent years from 2012 to 2021.
Germany Healthcare Statistics
Germany has a massive network of healthcare to cater to its 83,3 million population, as shown by the most recent data from the Federal Statistical Office:
- The life expectancy for women in Germany is 83.3 years as of 2021, while men have a life expectancy of approximately 78.5 years.
- The leading cause of death for both men and women in Germany is cardiovascular diseases.
- In 2021, the total number of hospital staff amounted to 6 million, with 75% women and 14% staff members in their sixties or above.
- The number of registered patients in Germany in 2021 reached 16.7 million.
- Recent data shows 2.9% more people were employed in the healthcare sector by the end of 2021.
- In Germany, cancer remains the fourth most frequent reason for hospital treatment, representing 8% of all hospital stays.
- Around 30% of people in Germany go to the doctor three or five times each year.
Germany Health Insurance Statistics
Health insurance and insurance companies are at the core of German healthcare, as highlighted by recent data from the Federal Statistical Office:
- In 2022, around 74 million people in Germany had statutory health insurance (GKV), representing about 90% of the population (both citizens and residents).
- Six replacement funds, including TK, BARMER, DAK-Gesundheit, KKH, hkk, and HEK, are the largest insurance providers, insuring more than 28 million people in Germany, holding a market share of 38.3%.
- Since 1970, the number of statutory health insurance companies in Germany has significantly decreased from 1,815 to 97 in 2022.
Information source: Association of Substitute Funds (VDEK).
- Statutory health insurance (SHI) covers around 88,1 % of the population, or 73.2 million.
- Private health insurance (PHI) covers around 10,5% of the population or 8,7 million.
- Other forms of insurance include social security recipients, disabled veterans, those receiving support for equalization of burdens, free medical care for police and armed forces, uninsured individuals, and cases where health insurance status is not specified, which amounts to about 1,4% or 1,2 million.
- In summary, around 74 million people in Germany have statutory health insurance, representing about 90% of the population, the remaining 10% have private insurance or other forms of insurance.
Number of Health Insurance Companies
The number of public health insurance companies in Germany has significantly lowered in the past recent years:
| Year | Number of Health Insurance Companies |
| 1970 | 1,815.00 |
| 1980 | 1,319.00 |
| 1990 | 1,147.00 |
| 1995 | 960.00 |
| 2000 | 420.00 |
| 2005 | 267.00 |
| 2010 | 169.00 |
| 2015 | 122.00 |
| 2018 | 110.00 |
| 2019 | 109.00 |
| 2020 | 105.00 |
| 2021 | 103.00 |
| 2022 | 97.00 |
| 2023 | 96.00 |
Information source: Association of Substitute Funds (VDEK).
Around 100 public insurance companies are now operating in Germany, and over 40 accredited private insurance companies.
Cost of Healthcare
Germany is one of the countries that spends most on healthcare and health insurance, as shown by the most recent data from the Federal Statistical Office:
- In 2021, health expenditure in Germany rose to 474.1 billion euros, with an average of 5,699 euros per inhabitant, marking a 7.5% increase from the previous year.
- The total hospital costs in 2021 amounted to 126.9 billion euros, including staff, material, and vocational training expenses.
- According to the latest available data, the total expenditure for treatments covered by Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) amounted to around 220 billion euros, with most of the expenses allocated to hospital stays.
Information source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis).
Women’s Health Statistics in Germany
Women’s health in Germany is essential, and a recent report from the Robert Koch Institute highlights the following findings:
- There are currently approximately 265,000 registered female doctors with state medical associations.
- Two-thirds of women in Germany self-assess their health as either good or very good, with an increasing proportion of women aged 60 to 69 reporting good subjective health.
- Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in Germany, accounting for approximately 40% of all fatalities.
- The second leading cause of death for women in Germany is cancer.
- For women, the prevalence of overweight remains consistently high, with approximately 47% being overweight.
- Almost all women (91%) in Germany visit outpatient medical services at least once a year.
- Around 35% of women in Germany have experienced physical and/or sexual violence after age 16, resulting in various physical and psychological consequences.
- The average life expectancy for women in Germany is over 83 years, comparable to that of women in other EU member states.
- Women in Germany generally tend to focus more on preventative care, eat healthier, smoke, and drink less than men.
- In 2021, approximately 237,000 women in Germany delivered via Caesarean section, accounting for nearly one out of three hospital births.
- The Caesarean rate for all of Germany was 30.9%, slightly higher than the previous year’s rate of 29.7%.
- Over the past 30 years, the proportion of Caesarean births has doubled.
Men’s Health Statistics in Germany
Some of the most important data about men’s health in Germany for recent years (2020/2021) include the following:
- 6% of men in Germany rate their health as good or very good, which is higher than the women’s percentage at 68.8%.
- Men in Germany have a life expectancy of 78.5 years.
- Around 61% of men remain overweight, showing a consistently high prevalence based on previous surveys.
- In Germany, 10% of the male population have known diabetes mellitus.
- Outpatient medical services are utilized by approximately 84% of men, while hospital treatment is received by around 15% of men.
- Less than 50% of men use medications, which is a lower percentage than that of women at 60%
- In 2020, testicular cancer accounted for 10,900 in-patient hospital treatments, resulting in 197 deaths.
- Approximately 55% of patients with testicular cancer were between the ages of 20 and 39, making it the most common cancer type in this age group among men.
- Among young men aged 25 to 29, testicular cancer accounted for 32% of all cancer treatments.
- Over the span of 20 years, the number of in-patient treatments for testicular cancer in Germany decreased by 40%. In 2020, around 10,900 boys and men nationwide received hospital treatment for testicular cancer, compared to 18,100 patients two decades earlier.
- In the same period, the number of in-patient hospital treatments for male patients decreased by 5%, from 841,000 cases in 2000 to 800,000 in 2020.
Pharmacy and Medicine Statistics
- As of 2021, approximately 18,461 public pharmacies are operating in Germany or around 22 per 100,000 inhabitants.
- As of 2021, there is a steady decline in public pharmacies in Germany from 20,108 in 1991 to 18,461.
- Every day, approximately 19,500 pharmacies (public and private) in Germany cater to the medicinal needs of 3.5 million individuals.
- With over 80% of pharmaceutical costs covered by the German healthcare system, it stands as the EU’s second most generous system in terms of coverage, surpassed only by Luxembourg.