Majority of Germans concerned about rising food prices, survey finds

Some 58 percent of Germans are worried about the rising cost of living, with higher food prices in particular causing a headache, according to a survey.

Some 68% of the 1,000 adults questioned by pollsters Forsa said they noted the most severe price increases when buying food, while 16% said they thought the costs for energy had risen the most.

Some 11% of respondents complained about a rise in health care costs, while 4% said transport costs had seen the steepest rise, according to the survey commissioned by the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv) and carried out in November.

Some 42% of those questioned said they did not worry, or worried very little, about a rising cost of living.

It comes as Germany’s federal statistical office is set to release 2025 inflation data later on Tuesday.

With the cost of energy soaring in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany saw inflation reach 6.9% in 2022 and remain at 5.9% in 2023, the highest rates since reunification in 1990.

In 2024, consumer prices appeared to have stabilized again, with inflation reaching 2.2% over the year as a whole, and closing in on the 2% target set by the European Central Bank.

Economists expect inflation to have remained above the 2% threshold in 2025, as prices continue to rise particularly in the service sector.

While food price inflation has slowed, many items are considerably more expensive than they used to be before the coronavirus pandemic.