The number of pharmacies in Munich is declining sharply. This arises from a request that city council members Alexandra Gaßmann and Hans Theiss (both CSU) addressed to Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD). The answer from health officer Beatrix Zurek (SPD) breaks down how many pharmacies there were in the state capital in 2012 (399) and how many there were still on December 31, 2021 (335). This is a decrease of around 16 percent.
However, the trend is distributed very differently across the individual city districts. The decline was greatest in Thalkirchen-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln, where instead of 28 pharmacies there are only 16, which corresponds to a decline of 43 percent. There were also large declines in Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt (-30 percent), Berg am Laim (-27%), Schwabing-Freimann (-27%) and Moosach (-25%).
The number of pharmacies has not changed in five city districts: in Sendling (eight pharmacies), Schwanthalerhöhe (eight), Bogenhausen (19), Hadern (eight) and Feldmoching-Hasenbergl (nine). A pharmacy was even added in Allach-Untermenzing (from five to six).
The health department does not want to make a forecast as to how well the individual districts will be supplied with pharmacies in the future – because in Germany there is fundamentally freedom of establishment for pharmacies. The development of the number of pharmacies in Munich will depend heavily on the importance of mail order and online pharmacies.
Where pharmacies are disappearing in Munich
Urban districts, percentage decline from 2012 to 2021
Thalkirchen-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln: 16 instead of 28 pharmacies = decrease of 43%
Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt: 23 instead of 33 pharmacies = -30%
Berg am Laim: nine instead of eleven = -27%
Schwabing-Freimann: 19 instead of 26 = -27%
Moosach: nine instead of twelve = -25%
Schwabing-West: 14 instead of 18 = -22%
Untergiesing-Harlaching: eight instead of ten = -20%
Pasing-Obermenzing: 16 instead of 20 = -20%
Aubing-Lochhausen-Langwied: nine instead of eleven = -18%
Neuhausen-Nymphenburg: 23 instead of 28 = -18%
Laim: 14 instead of 17 = -18%
Maxvorstadt: 15 instead of 18 = -17%
Au-Haidhausen: 19 instead of 22 = -14%
Trudering belt: eight instead of nine = -eleven%
Ramersdorf-Perlach: 17 instead of 19 = -eleven%
Altstadt-Lehel: 23 instead of 24 = -four percent