On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, this issue deals with the question of how and to what extent health in Germany developed in the last 25 years. It firstly considers data on mortality and the average life expectancy. Issues of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and mental health problems are addressed. The authors take a closer look at significant health determinants such as obesity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and physical activity. In addition, the topic of health care, particularly the range of outpatient services, is covered. A  wide variety of data is used, which include official statistics as well as data from the health surveys of the Robert Koch Institute, and the Federal Centre for Health Education, among others.