![]() | This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Much of the prevalence and statistical data is from 2013 or earlier. More recent data from sources like the DEBRA study is available..(August 2025) |
In Germany, smoking is widespread and is subject to very few and lax regulations compared to other European countries. [1] [2] [3] Tobacco taxes in Germany are among the lowest in Europe. [4] Germany ranks last on the Tobacco Control Scale [5] and has sometimes been referred to as the "smoker's paradise" of Europe. [6] [5] According to German addiction researcher Heino Stöver , Germany has "[...] more cigarette vending machines than any other country in the world." [7]
Under federal law, the manufacture, import, distribution, and advertisement of tobacco is regulated, while the 16 federal states of Germany each have their own legislation regarding smoking in public places, [8] which range from relatively weak regulations to full smoking bans in all licensed premises, childcare facilities, schools and governmental institutions.
As of 2024, nearly 40% of the German population live in the three states which ban smoking in all restaurants, pubs, cafés and nightclubs (Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saarland). The other 13 states permit smoking in designated rooms or in bars with a floor area of less than 75 square meters.
According to a 2013 micro-census survey, 24.5% of the German population aged fifteen years and over are smokers (29% of men, 20% of women). [9] Among the 18–25 age group, 35.2% are smokers. [10]
In 2005, 27% of the population were current smokers. 23% were daily smokers (28% of men and 19% of women), while 4% smoked occasionally. The highest ratio of daily smokers was in the 20–24 age group: 38% of men and 30% of women. [11] According to a 2010 study by University of Bielefeld, 9.9% of all 15-year-old males and 10.8% of 15-year-old females smoked daily, which showed a strong decline during the previous decade. [12]
As in other industrial countries, the prevalence of smoking in Germany is lower among people with higher education levels.
A 2009 comparative study found that 25.1% of male and 20.6% of female medical students in Göttingen smoked, while in London the percentages were only 10.9% and 9.1%. [13]
Germany had one of the largest numbers of cigarette vending machines per capita in the world. [14]
According to a 2013 microcensus, about one in four (24.5%) people aged 15 years and over was a smoker: 20.9% regularly, and 3.6% occasionally. The rate of ex-smokers was 19.3%. The average age at which smokers begin is 17.8 years of age (in the age group of 15- to 20-year-olds the average age is 15.4 years).[ citation needed ]
Age (y) | Male | Female |
---|---|---|
15–20 | 19.9% | 15.0% |
20–25 | 39.9% | 32.8% |
25–30 | 44.3% | 32.2% |
30–35 | 42.5% | 28.3% |
35–40 | 39.0% | 27.9% |
40–45 | 38.3% | 30.3% |
45–50 | 38.9% | 31.1% |
50–55 | 36.7% | 28.3% |
55–60 | 30.7% | 22.2% |
60–65 | 24.9% | 16.8% |
65–70 | 17.0% | 11.0% |
70–75 | 12.5% | 6.7% |
over 75 | 8.0% | 3.6% |
In 2010, an average of 229 million cigarettes were smoked every day, corresponding to 1,021 cigarettes per capita.
Smoking behaviour | Women, 18 to 29 | Women, 30 to 44 | Women, 45 to 64 | Women, 65 and older | Women, total | Men, 18 to 29 | Men, 30 to 44 | Men, 45 to 64 | Men, 65 and older | Men, total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Daily smokers | 33.6% | 29.3% | 22.0% | 5.1% | 21.9% | 39.3% | 36.0% | 26.1% | 11.8% | 29.2% |
Occasional smokers | 11.0% | 7.4% | 5.3% | 2.4% | 6.1% | 14.4% | 8.3% | 6.9% | 3.8% | 8.1% |
Ex-smokers | 14.6% | 24.1% | 25.5% | 21.2% | 22.3% | 14.7% | 23.9% | 38.2% | 52.1% | 31.8% |
Never smoked | 40.8% | 39.2% | 47.2% | 71.3% | 49.7% | 31.5% | 31.8% | 28.8% | 32.4% | 30.9% |
Amount of smoked cigarettes per day, per Sozio-oekonomisches Panel (SOEP).
Cigarettes | Percentage, 2006 [17] | Percentage, 2012 [18] |
---|---|---|
0–4 | 7% | 14.7% |
5–9 | 14% | 26.5% |
10–14 | 22% | 19.8% |
15–19 | 18% | 26.5% |
20–24 | 24% | 5.6% |
25–29 | 5% | 4.4% |
30–34 | 5% | 2.6% |
35–39 | 1% | — |
40 and more | 4% | — |
Average amount of cigarettes smoked daily, by year. [19]
Year | Cigarettes (in millions) |
---|---|
1991 | 401 |
1992 | 359 |
1993 | 351 |
1994 | 367 |
1995 | 370 |
1996 | 373 |
1997 | 377 |
1998 | 379 |
1999 | 398 |
2000 | 382 |
2001 | 390 |
2002 | 398 |
2003 | 363 |
2004 | 306 |
2005 | 262 |
2006 | 256 |
2007 | 251 |
2008 | 241 |
2009 | 237 |
2010 | 229 |
2011 | 240 |
2012 | 225 |
2013 | 220 |
Since 2003, it has been illegal to label a tobacco product as "light", "mild", "low-tar" or to use any other wording that might suggest the product causes less harm than other tobacco products. [20] [21]
Radio and television advertising for tobacco products was banned in 1975. [22] The Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (Interstate Broadcasting Treaty) of 1999 extended the ban to include sponsorship of television and radio shows.
In 2002, the Protection of Young Persons Act prohibited tobacco advertising in cinemas before 6 p.m. [23] On 1 January 2007, the EU Tobacco Advertising Directive came into force, banning tobacco advertising on the internet, in newspapers, and in magazines. It also prohibited sponsorship of events broadcast internationally. [24]
Germany was the last EU member state to allow billboard and cinema advertising for tobacco, but this changed with new restrictions. Outdoor advertising is being phased out: tobacco products (from January 2022), heated tobacco (from January 2023), and e-cigarettes (from January 2024). [25] Cinema advertising for tobacco was banned in 2021. [26]
Under the EU Tobacco Products Directive II, cigarette, rolling tobacco and hookah tobacco packages must cover 65% of their surface with combined pictorial and textual warnings on both large sides, plus additional warnings on the smaller sides. This has been mandatory since May 2017.
In Germany, tobacco tax is calculated based on both the quantity of tobacco and the retail price (§ 3 TabakStG). The tax amount is printed on the Steuerbanderole (tax strip) of each package.[ citation needed ]
In 2002 and 2003, tax increases were introduced to finance anti-terrorist measures.[ citation needed ] In 2004 and 2005, further increases supported health insurance.[ citation needed ] In 2010, tax hikes were scheduled for five consecutive years, from 2011 to 2015.[ citation needed ]
As of 2015, the tobacco tax was 9.82 cents per cigarette plus 21.69% of the retail price, with a minimum of 19.636 cents per cigarette (excluding VAT).[ citation needed ]
Example calculation for a pack of 19 cigarettes at €5.00 |
---|
19 × €0.0982 + €5.00 × 21.69% = €1.87 + €1.08 = €2.95 |
Several laws regulate the retail sale of tobacco products in Germany.
The Federal Non-Smoking Protection Act (Bundesnichtraucherschutzgesetz, BNichtrSchG) introduced a smoking ban in:
The law does not apply to residential or accommodation facilities provided for personal use, and it allows for designated smoking rooms if federal conditions are met. [33]
The non-smoking protection law does not apply to cultural institutions (except cinemas) and sports facilities unless they are part of a school.
Bavaria's Health Protection Act (GSG) is one of the strictest in Germany. A general ban applies in all enclosed public spaces, restaurants, cultural and leisure facilities.
Buildings of the Hessischer Rundfunk may establish separated smoking rooms.
Municipalities may ban smoking on public playgrounds.
Separated smoking areas may be established in most public buildings.
NRW has one of the strictest smoking bans nationwide.
{{cite book}}
: Check |isbn=
value: checksum (help)