Despite the ongoing debate about the health consequences, consumers in Germany continue to consume significant amounts of sugar. As the Federal Statistical Office reported on Thursday, the production volume of sugary soft drinks such as cola and lemonade remained almost unchanged in 2024 at 7.7 billion litres, compared with the previous year (minus 0.2%). This corresponds to 93 litres per capita.
At the same time, the office pointed out that annual sugar consumption per capita in Germany stood at 41.2 kilograms in 2023, equivalent to 38 sugar cubes per day in mathematical terms. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the global average consumption amounted to 24 sugar cubes per capita per day. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no more than just under 17 sugar cubes per day for people with a healthy body weight.
High sugar consumption affects health and increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, the office added. According to WHO data, nearly a quarter (24%) of adults and 8% of children and adolescents in Germany were affected by obesity in 2022. According to the WHO, 116 countries worldwide had introduced a sugar tax in 2024 to curb high consumption, the office further stated. These countries include France, Poland, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India and South Africa.
In Germany, however, there is no such tax. As newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) reported on Thursday, a majority of consumers support a levy on highly sweetened beverages.
According to a Forsa survey commissioned by the consumer organisation Foodwatch, 60% of respondents favour a tiered tax depending on the sugar content, while 38% oppose it. Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister-President Daniel Günther (CDU) announced a legislative initiative for a nationwide sugar tax at the end of last year.
With regard to soft drink production, the Federal Statistical Office noted that production of light variants has recently increased. In 2024, 1.5 billion litres of reduced-calorie cola and lemonade were produced, more than 18 litres of light drinks per capita. Compared with the previous year, production rose by 5.7%.
Overall, however, the production volume of sugary drinks still significantly exceeds that of light products. Mineral water ranks ahead of sugary beverages: according to the statistics, 12.7 billion litres of mineral, table and medicinal water were produced in Germany in 2024 — more than 152 litres per capita.
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