GHDI logo


Statistics on Health Insurance (1885-1914)

These statistics on health care illustrate the growing public welfare and health care services available in Wilhelmine Germany. Note the boom at the beginning of the twentieth century as reforms expanded the purview of social security, thanks in part to social unrest and the rise of Social Democracy.

Please click on print version (below) for a larger, more legible version.

print version     return to document list previous document      first document in next chapter

page 1 of 1


Health Insurance (overview)

Year
Number of members at the end of the year
Income
Expenditures
Total number
Regional Insurance Company for Employees
Total amount
in Marks
From registration fees, regular
payments, and additional payments
(since 1893)
Total amount
in Marks
For costs of treatment
Total amount
in Marks
Number of members in millions
Percent
of total
income
Total amount
in Marks x
1,000
Per member
in Marks
Percent of
total income (1)
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
4,294,173
4,570,087
4,842,226
5,516,461
6,071,035
6,342,828
6,530,513
6,513,738
6,754,735
6,939,412
7,288,884
7,695,587
8,122,626
8,502,645
8,786,973
9,116,332
9,152,103
9,472,582
9,897,483
10,421,020
10,940,269
11,437,914
11,721,796
11,774,843
12,244,446
12,846,837
13,357,225
12,971,389
13,091,069
15,609,586
1,534,888
1,701,305
1,909,046
2,200,937
2,451,072
2,559,761
2,685,707
2,776,591
3,020,654
3,109,100
3,287,712
3,478,370
3,696,498
3,900,781
4,030,949
4,220,986
4,266,871
4,466,149
4,807,473
5,153,744
5,470,141
5,804,587
5,915,114
6,020,224
6,347,374
6,722,490
7,075,087
7,374,056
7,434,507
9,714,396
63,294,983
72,089,059
78,169,963
91,914,433
102,529,830
114,558,315
119,925,617
124,000,436
131,562,137
135,464,050
144,992,369
155,019,216
166,971,725
179,646,158
193,741,196
208,613,858
216,294,954
224,929,003
242,917,378
285,375,646
312,097,081
338,643,848
375,964,286
397,600,197
413,538,233
443,350,086
488,834,719
501,807,281
536,961,538
595,360,246
53,783,550
61,388,190
66,700,954
74,849,100
84,301,886
91,240,594
96,757,627
99,277,889
106,306,192
111,509,631
117,309,026
126,656,201
135,486,710
145,240,607
154,711,407
166,045,995
171,353,270
180,782,378
193,541,940
230,685,129
250,351,868
276,664,612
300,379,168
313,528,389
330,550,626
357,617,168
388,442,459
393,610,899
414,237,760
523,884,104
13.4
14.6
14.6
13.86
13.72
13.87
14.06
14.27
14.96
15.31
15.60
15.94
16.25
16.56
16.90
17.44
17.77
18.34
18.93
21.54
22.38
23.67
24.75
25.44
26.40
27.36
28.52
29.78
30.53
-
85.0
85.1
85.5
81.4
82.2
79.6
80.7
80.1
80.8
82.3
81.0
81.5
80.8
80.5
79.5
79.2
79.2
80.1
79.3
80.4
79.8
81.3
79.5
78.5
79.6
80.4
79.2
78.1
76.8
88.0
50,563,414
58,048,092
60,517,278
85,517,089
95,380,338
107,850,607
112,734,062
116,829,818
125,369,485
127,442,362
136,669,341
145,916,820
157,357,109
169,313,386
183,654,357
197,482,566
205,230,659
212,943,938
230,521,030
271,366,256
296,993,446
319,918,794
356,393,964
379,117,472
394,595,423
421,627,862
466,975,881
479,268,032
513,366,745
502,492,926
45,604.6
52,452.3
54,768.5
61,561.5
70,975.2
84,040.0
89,166.1
94,258.4
101,971.7
99,588.5
104,822.4
109,722.8
120,487.9
128,057.3
145,324.2
157,865.2
163,355.6
167,801.4
180,841.7
213,931.5
232,243.9
241,793.6
273,887.5
297,376.8
305,710.3
320,020.8
357,468.4
359,737.7
390,686.5
444,773.1
11.4
12.4
12.0
11.40
11.55
12.77
12.96
13.55
14.35
13.67
13.93
13.81
14.45
14.60
15.87
16.58
16.94
17.02
17.69
19.97
20.76
20.68
22.56
24.13
24.42
24.49
26.25
27.22
28.80
28.49
90.3
90.4
90.5
71.0
74.4
74.4
79.1
80.7
81.3
78.2
76.7
75.2
76.5
75.6
79.1
79.9
79.6
78.8
78.4
78.8
78.3
75.7
76.8
78.5
77.5
75.9
76.6
75.1
76.1
88.5

(1) The percentages given in this column were compiled retroactively.

Source: Statistik des Deutschen Reichs [Statistics of the German Reich], published by the Imperial Office of Statistics, new series, vol. 24 (1885), 31 (1886), 38 (1887), 46 (1888), 53 (1889), 59 (1890), 65 (1891), 72 (1892), 78 (1893), 84 (1894), 90 (1895), 96 (1896), 121 (1897), 127 (1898), 133 (1899), 140 (1900), 147 (1901), with an overview of the development of health insurance from 1885 to 1900, 156 (1902), 163 (1903), 170 (1904), 177 (1905), 186 (1906), 194 (1907), 229 (1908), 238 (1909), 248 (1910), 258 (1911), 268 (1912), 277 (1913), 289 (1914).

Statistical table taken from: Karl Erich Born, et. al., eds., Quellensammlung zur Geschichte der deutschen Sozialpolitik 1867 bis 1914: Einführungsband [Collection of Sources on the History of German Social Policy from 1867 to 1914: Introductory Volume]. Wiesbaden: 1966, pp. 148-49.

Translation: Richard Pettit

first page < previous   |   next page > last page