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Billions in costs for our countryAlcohol consumption causes 44,000 deaths and millions of hospital treatments
The best thing to ignore is the liquor section in a supermarket.
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Although alcohol consumption is declining in Germany, its consequences are still enormous. In addition to the many deaths, there are high economic costs. According to an expert, people who only occasionally drink beer, wine, etc. are also at risk.
In Germany, 44,000 deaths and seven million hospital treatments every year are due to alcohol consumption. Experts put the direct and indirect economic costs of alcohol consumption in Germany at around 57 billion euros, according to the Addiction Yearbook published by the German Center for Addiction Issues. The yearbook regularly summarizes current studies and figures on addictive substances such as alcohol, tobacco and drugs, but also on gambling and pathological internet use.
Despite the decline in alcohol consumption, around 8.6 million people between the ages of 18 and 64 consume alcoholic beverages in ways that pose a health risk. This corresponds to more than two alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than one for women. Around 9.5 million people said they had gotten drunk at least once in the past 30 days – that is, by definition, at least five alcoholic drinks.
Overall, per capita consumption in Germany fell by 1.8 liters to 115.1 liters in 2024 compared to the previous year. According to the World Health Organization, alcohol is linked to up to 200 different diseases, including cancer. Alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of death.
“Every phase of alcohol consumption – from occasional drinking to addiction – is associated with an increasing risk of damage to health,” explained addiction doctor and co-author of the yearbook Addiction, Francesca Borlak. “There is no such thing as consumption that is harmless or even beneficial to health.”
Smoking is also still widespread in the population, despite the known health risks. According to a recent 2025 study, about a third (33.7 percent) of adults smoke. According to data from 2023, 6.8 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds use the cigarette, while among 18- to 25-year-olds it is more than one in four (26.3 percent).
According to the 2025 yearbook, the per capita consumption of taxed finished cigarettes rose slightly to an average of 795 cigarettes. The consumption of e-cigarettes has also been increasing in recent years – 3.0 percent of people between the ages of 14 and 64 smoke e-cigarettes.
Sources used: rog/AFP
