Critics say that in Germany orange juice is constantly increasing in price, but that vodka has a stable price. And that alcohol is so cheap that it leads to drunkenness and traffic accidents
Germany has a problem with alcohol, new statistics show. Experts believe that cheap and easily available alcohol is one of the reasons, and they are looking for changes.
The numbers are worrying: 99.000 people die annually in Germany as a result of tobacco consumption. Excessive alcohol consumption claims another 47.500 lives.
This comes from the annual report of the German Addiction Monitoring Center (DHS) called "Addiction Yearbook 2025". In addition to various forms of addiction, such as addiction to nicotine or gambling, the report pays special attention to alcohol addiction.
A fifth of Germans drink too much.
"At least a fifth of German citizens consume too much alcohol, to the extent that we can call it risky or addictive," says scientist Jakob Manthey, who deals with addiction issues. 9 percent of German residents between the ages of 18 and 64 are alcohol abusers or alcohol addicts.
Among the 47.500 alcohol-related deaths are victims of alcohol-related traffic accidents, as well as diseases caused by excessive drinking, such as blood vessel problems, liver cirrhosis and various forms of cancer. The victims also include those who lost their lives as a result of criminal acts committed under the influence of alcohol.
An expert who participated in the production of the yearbook on addictions points out that alcohol is a poison and that it is best to abstain completely. "But any reduction in consumption is welcome. It's not the same whether I drink two or three beers," says Manthey.
Alcohol is nowhere as cheap as in Germany
A further problem is that alcoholic beverages can be advertised in Germany without any restrictions. Also, alcohol prices have remained more or less the same for the last twenty years. "The price of orange juice is constantly rising. A bottle of vodka has been priced the same for years," points out Christina Rummel, director of DHS, and adds:
"In no other European country is alcohol as cheap as in Germany." At the same time, alcohol consumption, for example due to sick leave, annually causes material damage of 57 billion euros.
The increase in taxes will save 850 lives a year
Rummel believes that there are effective mechanisms for reducing the problems caused by alcohol. "In addition to intensifying prevention programs, we should make alcoholic beverages more expensive by raising taxes," says Rummel.
"The value-added tax on beer is very low, and on wine there is none at all," adds expert Manthey. She explains that by increasing the price of alcoholic beverages by five percent per year, consumption would decrease by 2,2 percent, which would save 850 human lives. In addition, 1,4 billion euros more in taxes would come to the state coffers. "The health of citizens must be more important than the interests of the alcoholic beverage industry," concludes Rummel.
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