Abstract

These statistics on health care illustrate the growing public welfare and health care services available in Wilhelmine Germany. Note the boom at the beginning of the twentieth century as reforms expanded the purview of social security, thanks in part to social unrest and the rise of Social Democracy.

Statistics on Health Insurance (1885–1914)

Source

Health Insurance (overview)

Year

Number of members at the end of the year

Income

Expenditures

From registration fees, regular payments, and additional payments (since 1893)

For costs of treatment

Total number

Regional Insurance Company for Employees

Total amount in Marks

Total amount in Marks

Number of members in millions

Percent of total income

Total amount in Marks

Total amount in Marks x 1,000

Per member in Marks

Percent of total income [1]

1885

4,294,173

1,534,888

63,294,983

53,783,550

13.4

85.0

50,563,414

45,604.6

11.4

90.3

1886

4,570,087

1,701,305

72,089,059

61,388,190

14.6

85.1

58,048,092

52,452.3

12.4

90.4

1887

4,842,226

1,909,046

78,169,963

66,700,954

14.6

85.5

60,517,278

54,768.5

12.0

90.5

1888

5,516,461

2,200,937

91,914,433

74,849,100

13.86

81.4

85,517,089

61,561.5

11.40

71.0

1889

6,071,035

2,451,072

102,529,830

84,301,886

13.72

82.2

95,380,338

70,975.2

11.55

74.4

1890

6,342,828

2,559,761

114,558,315

91,240,594

13.87

79.6

107,850,607

84,040.0

12.77

74.4

1891

6,530,513

2,685,707

119,925,617

96,757,627

14.06

80.7

112,734,062

89,166.1

12.96

79.1

1892

6,513,738

2,776,591

124,000,436

99,277,889

14.27

80.1

116,829,818

94,258.4

13.55

80.7

1893

6,754,735

3,020,654

131,562,137

106,306,192

14.96

80.8

125,369,485

101,971.7

14.35

81.3

1894

6,939,412

3,109,100

135,464,050

111,509,631

15.31

82.3

127,442,362

99,588.5

13.67

78.2

1895

7,288,884

3,287,712

144,992,369

117,309,026

15.60

81.0

136,669,341

104,822.4

13.93

76.7

1896

7,695,587

3,478,370

155,019,216

126,656,201

15.94

81.5

145,916,820

109,722.8

13.81

75.2

1897

8,122,626

3,696,498

166,971,725

135,486,710

16.25

80.8

157,357,109

120,487.9

14.45

76.5

1898

8,502,645

3,900,781

179,646,158

145,240,607

16.56

80.5

169,313,386

128 057.3

14.60

75.6

1899

8,786,973

4,030,949

193,741,196

154,711,407

16.90

79.5

183,654,357

145,324.2

15.87

79.1

1900

9,116,332

4,220,986

208,613,858

166,045,995

17.44

79.2

197,482,566

157,865.2

16.58

79.9

1901

9,152,103

4,266,871

216,294,954

171,353,270

17.77

79.2

205,230,659

163,355.6

16.94

79.6

1902

9,472,582

4,466,149

224,929,003

180,782,378

18.34

80.1

212,943,938

167,801.4

17.02

78.8

1903

9,897,483

4,807,473

242,917,378

193,541,940

18.93

79.3

230,521,030

180,841.7

17.69

78.4

1904

10,421,020

5,153,744

285,375,646

230,685,129

21.54

80.4

271,366,256

213,931.5

19.97

78.8

1905

10,940,269

5,470,141

312,097,081

250,351,868

22.38

79.8

296,993,446

232,243.9

20.76

78.3

1906

11,437,914

5,804,587

338,643,848

276,664,612

23.67

81.3

319,918,794

241,793.6

20.68

75.7

1907

11,721,796

5,915,114

375,964,286

300,379,168

24.75

79.5

356,393,964

273,887.5

22.56

76.8

1908

11,774,843

6,020,224

397,600,197

313,528,389

25.44

78.5

379,117,472

297,376.8

24.13

78.5

1909

12,244,446

6,347,374

413,538,233

330,550,626

26.40

79.6

394,595,423

305,710.3

24.42

77.5

1910

12,846,837

6,722,490

443,350,086

357,617,168

27.36

80.4

421,627,862

320,020.8

24.49

75.9

1911

13,357,225

7,075,087

488,834,719

388,442,459

28.52

79.2

466,975,881

357,468.4

26.25

76.6

1912

12,971,389

7,374,056

501,807,281

393,610,899

29.78

78.1

479,268,032

359,737.7

27.22

75.1

1913

13,091,069

7,434,507

536,961,538

414,237,760

30.53

76.8

513,366,745

390,686.5

28.80

76.1

1914

15,609,586

9,714,396

595,360,246

523,884,104

.

88.0

502,492,926

444,773.1

28.49

88.5

Notes

[1] The percentages given in this column were compiled retroactively.

Source: Statistik des Deutschen Reichs, published by the Imperial Office of Statistics, new series, vol. 24 (1885), 31 (1886), 38 (1887), 46 (1888), 53 (1889), 59 (1890), 65 (1891), 72 (1892), 78 (1893), 84 (1894), 90 (1895), 96 (1896), 121 (1897), 127 (1898), 133 (1899), 140 (1900), 147 (1901), with an overview of the development of health insurance from 1885 to 1900, 156 (1902), 163 (1903), 170 (1904), 177 (1905), 186 (1906), 194 (1907), 229 (1908), 238 (1909), 248 (1910), 258 (1911), 268 (1912), 277 (1913), 289 (1914); reprinted in: Karl Erich Born, et. al., eds., Quellensammlung zur Geschichte der deutschen Sozialpolitik 1867 bis 1914: Einführungsband. Wiesbaden: 1966, pp. 148–49.

Translation: Richard Pettit