According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute in 2014, life expectancy and mortality among women in the new and old federal states have equalized since 1990: in 1990, there were 815 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in the former GDR – 132 more than in the old countries. In 2012, the number in both parts of Germany was 440. A similar development can be observed among men: 25 years ago there were 1,356 deaths per 100,000 people in the east and 1,070 in the old federal states. By 2012, the numbers had dropped to 743 and 651, respectively.
With a view to the average life expectancy at birth, there is also an approximation. At the beginning of the 1990s, women in the old federal states were 2.3 years older than in the new ones. For men, the difference was as much as 3.2 years. By 2009/2001 it had fallen to 1.4 years, and for women to just 0.2 years.
Mortality from cardiovascular diseases fell massively overall, more so in the new federal states than in the old federal states. At the beginning of the 1990s, it was around 1.5 times higher for women and men from the new federal states than for women and men from the old federal states. In 2012, there were only slight differences between east and west. The East-West differences in smoking rates and in the prevalence of obesity have also decreased. Overall, the state of health and the health behavior of people in East and West are aligning. And: The Germans are getting healthier – no matter where they live!