The proportion of German smokers attempting to quit has steadily declined in recent years. Photo credit: Unsplash, Freerangestock.
Smoking remains a persistent habit in Germany. According to the Yearbook on Addiction 2025, published in late April by the German Central Office for Addiction Issues (DHS), approximately 30% of Germans still smoke regularly. This figure significantly exceeds the average smoking rate in the European Union (EU), which Statista estimates at 23.2% for 2025. Germany shows higher smoking prevalence in comparison to countries such as Sweden and the UK, where smoking prevalence is below 5% and 12%, respectively.
A leading German public health insurance provider reported on May 27 that the proportion of excessive smokers among its members increased by 47.5% between 2013 and 2023. The insurer estimates that around six million people nationwide are currently being treated for nicotine dependence. According to BFTG, an association representing small and medium-sized enterprises in the German e-cigarette industry, the resulting economic burden is estimated at roughly €97 billion (US$110.24 billion) annually.
Critics attribute these high smoking rates to Germany’s comparatively lenient tobacco control policies. Although Germany ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004 and the WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in 2017, and introduced graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging in 2016 (covering 65% of both the front and back), significant regulatory gaps remain. Display bans are absent, and billboard advertising for tobacco products was only prohibited in January 2022—the last legal form of tobacco advertising in the country.
Germany has implemented comprehensive bans on smoking and vaping in public spaces and taxes tobacco products under an annually increasing excise system aligned with EU legislation. As of 2025, cigarette excise tax stands at €0.1171 per cigarette. In 2024, the average retail price for a pack of 20 cigarettes was €7.33—about double the price in the early 2000s.
In recent years, reduced-risk products (RRP) have gained popularity in Germany, though uptake remains limited. According to the DEBRA study, a bi-monthly survey on smoking behavior in Germany, 2% of Germans used alternative nicotine products in 2024, up modestly from 1.6% in 2016. Unlike countries such as the UK, Germany does not actively promote RRP as safer alternatives to combustible cigarettes. On the contrary, under the EU Tobacco Products Directive, RRP are classified as tobacco products—with the exception of nicotine pouches, which are considered food products in Germany and are banned due to their nicotine content.
In 2021, Germany amended its Tobacco Products Act to phase in advertising restrictions for RRP and include nicotine-free e-cigarettes under the law. In 2022, the country revised its Tobacco Tax Modernization Act to tax heated tobacco products equivalently to combustible cigarettes and introduced a tax on e-cigarette liquids, which as of 2025 stands at €0.26 per milliliter. These measures have significantly reduced the price advantage of alternative nicotine products over traditional cigarettes.
Public discourse around RRP in Germany remains cautious, with frequent emphasis on their potential risks—particularly to young people—and the addictive nature of nicotine. While their role in harm reduction is occasionally acknowledged, this is typically framed by concern rather than endorsement.
These dynamics may help explain the latest findings from the DEBRA study on smoking cessation. Quit attempts are a key indicator of efforts to reduce tobacco use and, alongside preventing smoking initiation, play a central role in lowering smoking prevalence. Yet, the proportion of smokers attempting to quit has steadily declined in recent years. In 2024, only 7.7% of individuals who had smoked in the past 12 months made at least one serious quit attempt—down sharply from 30.4% in 2016. Moreover, evidence-based cessation methods are rarely used. Among those who did attempt to quit in 2024, only 19.5% utilized at least one evidence-based approach.