Includes Germany real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Germany economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Germany best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Federal parliamentary republic
Capital City: Berlin
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank |
Deutsche Bundesbank |
|---|---|
| Currency |
Euros (EUR) |
| International Reserves |
USD 296.05 billion (2021) International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2022 |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP |
USD 4,230.17 billion (2021 estimate) IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021 |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) |
USD 4,843.39 billion (2021 estimate) IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021 |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2017 2.7% 2018 1.1% 2019 1.1% 2020* -4.6% 2021* 3.1% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices |
USD 50,787.86 (2021 estimate) IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021 |
| GDP per capita – PPP |
USD 58,150.20 (2021 estimate) IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021 |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
3.35% (2021 estimate) |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 0.7% industry: 26.5% services: 63.4% (2020 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) |
3.2% (2019) OECD, retrieved January 2022 |
| Inflation |
2017 1.7% 2018 1.9% 2019 1.4% 2020* 0.4% 2021* 2.9% *Estimate |
Germany
Non-Economic Data
Most Technologically Advanced Countries In The World 2023
Economics, Policy & Regulation
Germany: Last Nuclear Plant Shut DownInflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2017 1.7% 2018 1.9% 2019 1.4% 2020* 0.4% 2021* 2.9% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: AAA Moody’s: Aaa Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s (January 2022) |
| Unemployment rate |
2017 3.8% 2018 3.4% 2019 3.2% 2020* 3.8% 2021* 4.7% *Estimate |
| Household saving rates |
16.1% (2020) |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2017 65% 2018 61.6% 2019 59.2% 2020* 69.1% 2021* 72.5% *Estimate |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2017 2.2% 2019 2.6% 2019 2% 2020* -3.9% 2021* -6.5% *Estimate |
| Market value of publicly traded shares |
USD 2,284 billion (2020) |
| Largest Companies |
Volkswagen Group, Allianz, Daimler, Deutsche Telekom, BMW Group, Siemens, SAP, Deutsche Post, Munich Re, EMD Group, E.ON, Fresenius, Henkel, Deutsche Bank, RWE Group, BASF, EnBW-Energie Baden, Bayer, Talanx, Vonovia, Adidas, Deutsche Boerse, Porsche Automobil Holding, Continental, Siemens Energy, Infineon Technologies, Evonik, Deutsche Wohnen, HeidelbergCement, Commerzbank, Metro Group, Beiersdorf, ThyssenKrupp Group, Covestro, Brenntag, Deutsche Lufthansa, Knorr-Bremse, LEG Immobilien AG, Wuestenrot & Wuerttembergische, Zalando, KION Group, Lanxess, Aurubis, Ceconomy, Schaeffler, Sartorius, Delivery Hero, BayWa, Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, HelloFresh, Aareal Bank, Puma, Nuernberger Beteiligungs, Symrise |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) |
43.4% (2020) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export |
7.8% (2020) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export |
6.0% (2020) |
| Total exports |
USD 1,670.3 billion (2020 estimate) |
| Export commodities |
Cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, aircraft, medical cultures/vaccines, industrial machinery (2019) |
| Total imports |
USD 1,452.2 billion (2020 estimate) |
| Import commodities |
Cars and vehicle parts, packaged medicines, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, medical cultures/vaccines (2019) |
| Exports – major partners |
United States 9%, France 8%, China 7%, Netherlands 6%, United Kingdom 6%, Italy 5%, Poland 5%, Austria 5% (2019) |
| Imports – major partners |
Netherlands 9%, China 8%, France 7%, Belgium 6%, Poland 6%, Italy 6%, Czechia 5%, United States 5% (2019) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance |
USD 287.6 billion (2021 estimate) IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021 |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP |
6.8% (2021 estimate) IMF – World Economic Outlook, October 2021 |
| FDI inflows |
2019 USD 62.1 billion 2020 USD 54.1 billion 2021 USD 35.7 billion |
| FDI Outflows |
2019 USD 86.2 billion 2020 USD 139.3 billion 2021 USD 35 billion |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2018 USD 47,640 million 2019 USD -6,559 million 2020 USD 31,879 million 2021 USD 72,812 million |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | Bayer AG, Merck & Co Inc-Consumer Care Business, United States, USD 14.2 billion / Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG, E-Plus Mobilfunk GmbH & Co KG, Germany, USD 11.2 billion / Volkswagen AG, Scania AB, Sweden, USD 9.1 billion / Kronen Tausend985 GmbH, Sky Deutschland AG, Germany, USD 4.9 billion / Dragonfly GmbH & Co KgaA, Celesio AG, Germany, USD 4.8 billion / TUI AG, TUI Travel PLC, United Kingdom, USD 4.6 billion |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 |
Merck KGaA, Sigma-Aldrich Corp, United States, USD 16.9 billion / ZF Friedrichshafen AG, TRW Automotive Holdings Corp, United States, USD 12.5 billion / Deutsche Annington Immobilien SE, Gagfah SA, Luxembourg, USD 10.4 billion / Siemens AG, Dresser-Ran |
| Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 22 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 125 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 30 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 5 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 76 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 48 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 61 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 46 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 42 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 13 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 4 out of 190 countries |
| Global competitiveness ranking |
7 out of 141 countries (2019) |
| Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 24 / Score: 73.5 (Mostly free) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
| Time Zone |
UTC+1 |
|---|---|
| Total Area |
357,022 sq km |
| Total Population |
1990 78.95 Million 2000 81.46 Million 2010 80.29 Million 2015* 81.96 Million 2020* 82.98 Million *Estimate |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960 71.4% 1980 72.8% 2000 75% 2020 77.3% |
| Population median age |
47.4 years |
| Population growth rate |
-0.17% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy |
80.9 years (2018 estimate) |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day |
0% (last available estimate, 2015) |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
31.7 (last available estimate, 2015) (0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality) |
| Freedom House rating |
Free Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 51.7% Mobile: 129.3% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population |
89.74 % (2018) |
Language & Religon
| Languages |
German (official) |
|---|---|
| Literacy | N/A |
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 28.2%, Protestant 26%, Muslim 5%, Orthodox 1.9%, other Christian 1.1%, other .9%, none 37% (2017 est.) |
World Rankings
| Population | 83 M |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index |
Munich: 67th Frankfurt: 74th Berlin: 81st Düsseldorf: 92nd Hamburg: 100th Stuttgart: 126th Nürnberg: 151st Leipzig: 156th (2019) |
| C02 Emissions per capita |
8.89 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Germany
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000