Germany’s Health Insurance Coverage: Millions Covered, Thousands Still Left Out

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AFP
October 29, 2025
In 2023, about 72,000 people in Germany were without any health insurance coverage or access to medical care, the statistics office said. Most were non-employed, including retirees and older students. Another 198,000 had medical entitlements despite lacking insurance.
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Germany’s Health Insurance Coverage: Millions Covered, Thousands Still Left Out
Around 72,000 people in Germany were not covered by health insurance in 2023 and had no other entitlement to healthcare. This corresponds to less than 0.1 percent of the total population, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office. - AFP

Around 72,000 people in Germany were without health insurance in 2023 and also had no other entitlement to medical care. This corresponds to less than 0.1 percent of the total population, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Wednesday in Wiesbaden. According to the data, 61 percent of those affected were men. Three-quarters of all uninsured individuals were so-called non-employed persons, such as retirees or students aged 26 and older.

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All residents of Germany are required by law to have health insurance. Another 198,000 people were also not insured but were nonetheless entitled to medical care. This group includes, for example, asylum seekers, recipients of social assistance, and voluntary military service members.

In 2023, eleven percent of Germans were privately insured. Of the roughly nine million people with private health insurance, almost 2.4 million were covered as family members. Eighty-nine percent of the population were members of the statutory health insurance system. Family members are somewhat more frequently privately co-insured than under statutory insurance.

Nearly 5.1 million people were voluntarily insured under the statutory system, including, for example, self-employed individuals. Their share among those with statutory health insurance was seven percent.

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