Germany's pharmacy count falls to lowest level in decades

At the start of 2025, Abda, the federal association of German pharmacists' organisations, reported that the number of pharmacies in Germany had dropped again during 2024. The total fell to just over 17,000 outlets, the lowest level in decades, after a net loss of roughly 500 pharmacies over the year.

The decline was not new. The number of pharmacies had been shrinking steadily for more than a decade, and closures outpaced new openings every year. Abda and individual pharmacy owners pointed to rising costs for staff, energy and rent, a shortage of qualified pharmacists and the difficulty of finding successors for owner-run shops. They also argued that the fixed fee pharmacies receive for dispensing prescription medicines had barely been raised since 2013.

The figures mattered because they fed a wider debate on healthcare access, especially in rural areas and smaller towns, where the nearest pharmacy can be far away. The data also fuelled pressure on the federal health ministry to reform pharmacy funding, while critics of the sector questioned whether looser rules would be a better answer than higher fees.