Psychoactive Substance Use in Germany: Findings From the Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) in 2024

Monitoring the use of psychoactive substances and the prevalence of substance-related disorders in the general population enables estimation of the extent of substance abuse and its effects on health and society.

Data are from the Epidemiological Survey of Substance Abuse (ESA) for 2024 (n = 7534, aged 18-64 years). Prevalence rates were calculated for the use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs, and medications, and for individuals who met the DSM-IV criteria for dependency or abuse. Rates were extrapolated to the German resident population aged 18 to 64 (51 480 168 people).

The most commonly used substance was alcohol, with a 30-day prevalence of 68.6% (35.3 million people), followed by nonopioid analgesics (31.5%) and conventional tobacco products (21.8%). The 12-month prevalence of cannabis use was 9.8% (5.1 million people). Dependence prevalences were 4.2% for alcohol, 8.3% for tobacco, 1.0% for cannabis, 0.1% for amphetamines, 0.1% for cocaine, 2.8% for analgesics, and 1.5% for hypnotics and sedatives. Abuse prevalences were 5.6% for analgesics, 0.5% for cannabis, 0.1% for cocaine, 0.1% for amphetamines, 1.1% for hypnotics and sedatives, and 3.3% for alcohol.

The use of psychoactive substances in Germany is still widespread. Because of the effects of psychoactive substance use on health and society, continual monitoring is essential for the early detection of trends and the institution of targeted preventive and interventional measures.