Pharmacies in Germany: Numbers Continue to Drop Dramatically – Healthcare Access at Risk

The situation is getting worse: As of mid-2025, only 16,803 pharmacies remained in Germany, marking a decrease of 238 locations since the end of 2024. The latest figures from the ABDA – Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists, based on data from the state pharmacy chambers, confirm the ongoing downward trend. While the pace of closures has slowed slightly compared to the first half of 2024 (283 closures), the overall direction remains clearly negative.

During the first six months of 2025, 271 pharmacies closed, with only 33 new ones opening. A five-year perspective reveals the full scale of the issue: Since the end of 2020, nearly 2,000 pharmacies have disappeared – a loss of more than 10%.

ABDA President Thomas Preis highlights the growing challenges: “The number of pharmacies keeps decreasing – and for many people, the distance to the nearest pharmacy keeps increasing.”

This decline brings serious problems: Pharmacies are irreplaceable, local centers of healthcare, Preis stresses. While remaining pharmacies and their delivery services attempt to bridge the growing supply gaps, structural solutions are urgently needed – especially considering an aging population and increasing demands on healthcare and prevention.

Preis makes a clear appeal to policymakers: “The promised Pharmacy Reform Law must be implemented quickly – every delay leads to even more pharmacy closures and harms citizens.”

In the recently published position paper “Towards a Healthy Future with the Pharmacy”, pharmacists propose concrete ideas for the future role of community pharmacies. Preis emphasizes their willingness to engage in dialogue with politicians, healthcare stakeholders, and patients – because the future of pharmacies affects us all.