The health services are one of the most important fields of the German economy and that does not only apply to Germany.
The overall expenses of the German health service summed
up to 239 billion in
the year
2005 which is 11% of GDP.
But the actual size of the German health
system including all fields beyond the out-patient
and in-patient sector is estimated to sum up to 500 billion.
Since the mid nineties, the health service sector has grown approximately 1 percentage
faster than the overall German economy.
About 4.3 million people work in the German health service - 10% of the overall labour force.
The health system in Germany and Europe turns into an attractive competitive market,
while there are parallel discussions about cost reduction.
There is a fast trend setting in - away from the federal health service towards
the private-sector health service.
Companies in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sector continue to have
a strong yield for many years.
There is an increasing number of service providers which follow the international standard
concerning hospital, nursing homes, rehabilitation centres and medical care centres.
The health product trade shows stable growth rates.
