Significant increase in smoking in Germany

Public health officials in Germany are sounding the alarm over a massive surge in smoking, including among young people, which has intensified in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns.[1]The overall smoking rate in Germany was slightly above 34% in July 2022 (compared to 26.5% in March 2020), according to the most recent results from DEBRA, a bimonthly survey funded by the German Ministry of Health.

The DEBRA study (Deutsche Befragung zum Rauchverhalten) is a representative bimonthly survey on tobacco consumption and new tobacco and nicotine products (heated tobacco, vaping products) among the German population. The DEBRA study has been conducted regularly since 2016. In 2022, the proportion of smokers reached its highest level since the survey began. Each year, 127,000 people die prematurely from smoking in Germany.

Significant increase in smoking among German teenagers

In Germany, almost twice as many teenagers and young adults smoke in 2022 as in 2021, although a clear downward trend was observed previously. Among 14- to 17-year-olds, the percentage increased from 8.71% in 2021 to 15.91% in 2022. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, the smoking rate was 40.81% in 2023 compared to 36.11% in 2021.

While regular consumption of vaping products remains low among adolescents, it increased from 0.5% in 2021 to 2.5% in 2022 among adolescents.

According to the study's authors, the difficult social context may have had a negative impact on consumption, particularly among young people and more vulnerable people. However, experts also warn of the strong presence of advertising for all tobacco and nicotine products, particularly online, which has an influence on younger people.

At the same time, the results show that attempts to quit among smokers (in the general population) have fallen sharply, with only 8.6% of smokers reporting having made a quit attempt in July 2023 (date of the last data collection), over the previous 12 months, compared to 16% in March 2021.

Germany's significant delay in implementing protective measures

According to the Tobacco Control Scale As of 2022, Germany is among the lowest-ranked countries assessed (34 out of 37), and is lagging far behind in implementing tobacco control policies, despite ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004.

Germany remains highly susceptible to tobacco industry interference. The average cost of a pack of cigarettes in Germany was around €6.65 in 2022, €5 less than in France. In 2021, lawmakers approved a multi-year cigarette tax increase totaling around 0.50 per pack and levied new taxes on new products, including heated tobacco and vaping products. However, experts at the German Cancer Research Center believe these measures are far from sufficient, as the tax increase has not kept pace with inflation. The tax policy gap is all the more significant given that Germany is particularly hard hit by inflation compared to its European neighbors.

Furthermore, cigarettes are still available in a significant number of retail outlets across the country, including vending machines, grocery stores, and even pharmacies. The ban on sales to minors is poorly enforced, and this widespread availability of these products contributes to a perceived normalization of these products in society.

The country remains one of the last in Europe to advertise tobacco on outdoor billboards, in supermarkets, kiosks, gas stations, and other locations. Last February, the German federal government's deputy for drug control, Burkhard Blienert, announced his intention to strengthen tobacco laws, which he deemed too liberal. He called for a complete ban on all advertising of tobacco and nicotine products, regardless of the medium.

Keywords: Germany, smoking, young people, adolescents, advertising

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[1] Jimmy Vielkind, Smoking Is a Dying Habit. Not in Germany, The Wall Street Journal, published August 31, 2023, accessed September 4, 2023