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The aim of the study was to collect and evaluate data for medical radiation exposure in Germany during 1996 and 2002 and to perform a trend analysis. Information on annual frequencies of diagnostic X-ray procedures was for the most part obtained from German health insurance companies. The effective doses of the various types of examinations were taken from research projects, the current literature, a recent nation-wide survey on CT practice, and random samples of measurements performed by the BfS in hospitals and medical practices. From frequency data and dose estimates the collective effective dose and the effective dose per capita were computed. Compared to other industrialised countries, Germany is positioned in the upper range with about 1.8 X-ray examinations per capita and year. While the frequency for X-ray examinations is more or less constant during the 1996 - 2002 period, the mean effective dose per capita shows an increase from about 1.6 mSv in 1996 to about 1.8 mSv in 2002. This rise is mainly caused by the increased use of CT.