The number of public pharmacies in Germany reached a new low in 2023. According to the Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations (Abda), there were still 17,571 pharmacies at the end of the year, 497 fewer than a year earlier. It is the largest annual loss in the history of the Federal Republic. According to Abda, there were 559 closures compared to only 62 new openings. Since the peak in 2008 with 21,602 pharmacies, the number has fallen by more than 18 percent. With 21 pharmacies per 100,000 inhabitants, the density of pharmacies in Germany is well below the European average of 32.
“Every pharmacy that closes is a bitter loss for patients,” Abda President Gabriele Regina Overwiening is quoted in the statement. According to her, more and more routes to the nearest pharmacy are emerging. For young pharmaceutical professionals, setting up a new pharmacy is becoming increasingly unattractive due to a lack of economic prospects. The fee for pharmacies has not been adjusted for more than ten years and has recently even been reduced again, even though the costs in pharmacies have increased by 60 percent.
Overwiening is demanding a rescue law for pharmacies from the traffic light parties. The fee must be “automatically adjusted to economic developments.” Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is planning a pharmacy fee and structural reform. It is expected to be discussed in the Bundesrat and Bundestag over the course of 2024. The minister presented key points a few days before Christmas.