Germany Is Sick Man After All With Illness Crippling Economy
- Absences shaved 0.8 percentage point off growth, study says
- Tally of illness among employees reached a record in 2023
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
German officials insist their economy doesn’t merit the “sick man of Europe” label, but a new study suggests illness is really playing a part in its poor performance.
Gross domestic product would have risen 0.5% last year if it hadn’t been for work absences due to poor health — a tally that surpassed pandemic totals to reach a record in 2023, according to analysis by VFA, the country’s association of research-based pharmaceutical companies.
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