Figures from the Kaufmännische Krankenkasse (KKH) have revealed that the number of heavy smokers in Germany has risen by almost 50 percent since 2013. The study also revealed which federal states have the largest number of heavy smokers.
Between 2013 and 2023, the number of people addicted to tobacco in Germany rose by 47,5 percent, according to the KKH. The health insurance provider made its assessment based on data from its nearly 1,66 million customers.
KKH reported how many customers were addicted to tobacco in 2013 compared to 2023 and how many customers suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive lung disease which causes chronic breathing problems.
In 2023, 7,1 percent of KKH insurees were addicted to tobacco, compared with 4,8 percent in 2023. While 19,5 percent of KKH insurees had received a COPD diagnosis in 2013, the same figure had jumped to 22,8 percent in 2023.
The KKH study also broke down findings by German federal state, revealing that tobacco addiction rose most significantly in the eastern state of Thuringia between 2013 and 2023. A decade ago, 3,5 percent of KKH insurees in Thuringia reported being addicted to smoking, compared to 7 percent in 2023.
However, Berlin is the state with the highest percentage of smokers, both then and now. In 2013, 6,4 percent of Berliners reported being addicted to smoking, compared to 9 percent in 2023. Baden-Württemberg and Hesse had the lowest percentage of smokers in 2023, 4,3 percent and 4,7 percent respectively.
On the international stage, Germany fares poorly when it comes to helping people quit smoking. In 2023, upon the publication of its ninth annual report on global tobacco consumption, the World Health Organisation (WHO) condemned the federal republic for being slow to implement preventative policies over the past 15 years.
Director for Health Promotion at the WHO, Rüdiger Krech, said that the current smoking policy in Germany is of “great concern”. Across the federal republic, buying cigarettes and tobacco is still affordable. According to figures from the German Cigarette Association (DZV), the average cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes in 2024 was 8,70 euros.
In countries which have enforced stricter smoking bans and where tobacco is more expensive, far fewer residents are smokers. In Sweden, 8 percent of the population still smokes and in the UK, 12,9 percent.
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