Despite making progress in reducing avoidable mortality in recent decades, Germany has not narrowed the gap observed in many Western European regions. A study published in the “European Journal of Population” by researchers from the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) and the universities of Groningen and Oldenburg indicates that, compared to regions and countries with notably favorable development-such as Switzerland-the gap has actually widened. Avoidable deaths refer to fatalities that could have been prevented through efficient medical treatment or preventative measures. The study analyzed data from 581 European regions spanning the period between 2002 and 2019.
Michael Mühlichen, a co-author and research associate at the BiB, noted that “many German regions continuously show higher figures for avoidable mortality compared to many other Western European areas”. The northeastern part of Germany is particularly affected, including areas in North Thuringia, Lower Saxony, and larger parts of Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
When looking at Western Europe overall, a clear pattern emerges: fewer people in comparably low numbers die from avoidable causes in Switzerland and large parts of Italy, France, and Spain. The researchers identify these areas as stable “Coldspots”. Within Germany, only the region between Tübingen and Ulm was temporarily classified as a “Coldspot”. In contrast, “Hotspots” with relatively high rates of avoidable mortality are found outside of Germany, notably in Belgium, northern and northeastern France, eastern Austria, and southwestern Spain.
The researchers cite two primary reasons for these significant regional disparities: divergence in the efficiency of early disease detection and treatment, and the health-related behaviors of the population. Mühlichen pointed out that “there is still room for improvement in Germany, especially regarding prevention, to counteract the most common risk factors such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise”.
The regional disparities, both within and across national borders, highlight that health inequalities in Europe cannot be explained solely by differences in national healthcare systems. Socioeconomic factors, such as income, education, and employment prospects, are also crucial. Pavel Grigoriev, a research group leader and co-author from the BiB, advised that “to reduce avoidable deaths in the long term, health policy measures should be much more closely aligned with regional needs, which derive from social conditions or health-related behaviors”.
