In 2024, only 283,500 patients were treated in German hospitals for a diagnosis that involved alcohol as the sole cause, a drop of 28.9 % compared with the 10‑year mark in 2014, according to Destatis. That figure represents the lowest level of alcohol‑related admissions in the past decade. In 2014, the number had been 398,500.
The proportion of all hospital stays that were alcohol‑only diagnoses fell from 2.0 % in 2014 to 1.6 % in 2024. At the same time, overall hospital activity declined by 8.6 %, with 17.9 million cases reported in 2024.
Men were much more likely than women to be admitted for an alcohol‑only diagnosis. In 2024, 73.3 % (207,900) of those patients were male, while women accounted for 26.7 % (76,600).
Alcohol dependence was the leading cause of an alcohol‑only admission in 2024, comprising 42.5 % (120,400) of such cases. Acute intoxication followed (21.1 %, 59,700), and withdrawal syndromes made up 14.7 % (41,800). Other frequent reasons were alcohol‑related liver damage (13.0 %, 36,900) and pancreatic disease (5.2 %, 14,700).
The decline in alcohol‑induced hospital stays was seen across almost all age groups. The strongest reduction affected the 10‑to‑19‑year‑old cohort, where admissions fell by 58.5 % from 24,300 in 2014 to 10,100 in 2024. The number of acute intoxication cases among this group decreased by 60.8 %, from 22,400 to 8,800.
Adults aged 20‑39 also saw fewer admissions, with a 27.6 % drop to 66,400 cases. Those between 40 and 59 years experienced a 35.2 % reduction, down to 138,200. The 60‑to‑79‑year‑olds had the smallest decline at 1.4 % (65,500 cases), whereas the 80‑plus group actually grew by 22.4 %, reaching 3,300 cases.
In 2024, an estimated 14,400 Germans died from conditions directly attributable to alcohol consumption, a 2.1 % rise over the 2014 figure of 14,100. Men made up roughly three‑quarters (74.1 %) of these deaths. Among male fatalities, 50.9 % were aged 55‑69, and only 0.5 % were younger than 30.
The observed rise in alcohol‑related deaths reflects demographic changes. When adjusted for age, the rate actually fell by 3.4 %: from 17.8 alcohol‑related deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014 to 17.2 in 2024.