Overview
- Germany scored 36.9 out of 100 on the Public Health Index, ranking 17th of 18 countries and ahead of only Switzerland.
- Despite €5,317 in per-capita health spending in 2022, life expectancy slipped just below the EU average of 81.4 years.
- DKFZ estimates about 131,000 deaths in 2021 from smoking and passive smoking, with other modifiable risks also contributing heavily.
- AOK and DKFZ advocate higher taxes, advertising bans and sales limits on tobacco, alcohol and sugary products, citing results in Nordic countries, Lithuania and the Netherlands’ 2024 tobacco tax hike.
- The biennial index finds Germany especially weak on tobacco, alcohol and nutrition measures, and AOK says alcohol is the EU’s most affordable in Germany.