In 2024, Germany's real gross domestic product fell by around 0.23 percent compared to the previous year. Keeping it real Real gross domestic product is, by definition, a measure of the value of economic output adjusted for inflation. While nominal gross domestic product (GDP), often only referred to as gross domestic product, reflects the state of a country’s economy including everything produced by the inhabitants within the country, real GDP is a more precise measurement of economic growth since it takes price change into account. Germany’s race to the topGermany’s social market economy is one of the largest worldwide and continues to thrive. One of the strongest industries in Germany is car manufacturing: Several German vehicle manufacturers, like Daimler, Volkswagen, or BMW, are among the major global market players and have brought in billions of euros in revenue in the past years, fueling the economy for years to come.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Germany contracted 0.10 percent in the second quarter of 2025 over the previous quarter. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Germany GDP Growth Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The Weekly Activity Index (WAI) of the German economy showed notable fluctuations between January 2021 and January 2025. It reached its lowest point at ***** percent in the **** week of 2021 before experiencing a sharp increase, peaking at *** percent in the **** week of the same year. The index then declined significantly during the second half of 2021 but recovered slightly, ending the year at **** percent. In early 2022, the WAI saw another significant drop and remained in negative territory until the **** week of 2023. Throughout 2024, the index continued to fluctuate markedly, displaying an upward trend in the first half of the year followed by a downward trend in the second half. What is the weekly activity index? The weekly activity index (WAI) is a weekly index designed to measure real economic activity in Germany. It is calculated as a common component from various indicators, such as industrial output, GDP, electricity consumption, credit card payments, and other high-frequency indicators. Positive values in the index indicates above average growth in real economic activity, while negative values signal a decline in economic output.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Germany expanded 0.40 percent in the second quarter of 2025 over the same quarter of the previous year. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Germany GDP Annual Growth Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Key information about Germany Foreign Direct Investment: % of GDP

• Germany Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) registered a fall equal to 2.0 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a growth equal to 1.8 % in the previous quarter.
• Germany Foreign Direct Investment: % of Nominal GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1991 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 32.9 % in Mar 2000 and a record low -3.7 % in Mar 2004.

CEIC calculates Foreign Direct Investment as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Foreign Direct Investment and quarterly Nominal GDP. Deutsche Bundesbank provides Foreign Direct Investment in EUR. Statistisches Bundesamt provides Nominal GDP in EUR.


Related information about Germany Foreign Direct Investment: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of Germany, Current Account recorded a surplus of 16.5 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 23.3 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Germany Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 4.3 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 62.1 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 1,072.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

GDP (LCU) of Germany increased by 2.86% from 4,185,550,000,000 LCU in 2023 to 4,305,260,000,000 LCU in 2024. Since the 2.41% fall in 2020, GDP (LCU) shot up by 24.80% in 2024. GDP at purchaser's prices is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current local currency.

Full Year GDP Growth in Germany decreased by 0.20 percent in 2024 from -0.30 percent in 2023. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Germany Full Year GDP Growth.

Throughout the Second World War, the United States consistently had the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world. Additionally, U.S. GDP grew significantly throughout the war, whereas the economies of Europe and Japan saw relatively little growth, and were often in decline. The impact of key events in the war is also reflected in the trends shown here - the economic declines of France and the Soviet Union coincide with the years of German invasion, while the economies of the three Axis countries experienced their largest declines in the final year of the war.

Since 1980, Europe's largest economies have consistently been France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, although the former Soviet Union's economy was the largest in the 1980s, and Russia's economy has been larger than Spain's since 2010. Since Soviet dissolution, Germany has always had the largest economy in Europe, while either France or the UK has had the second largest economy depending on the year. Italy's economy was of a relatively similar size to that of the UK and France until the mid-2000s when it started to diverge, resulting in a difference of approximately 800 billion U.S dollars by 2018. Russia's economy had overtaken both Italy and Spain's in 2012, but has fallen since 2014 due to the drop in international oil prices and the economic sanctions imposed for its annexation of Crimea - economic growth is expected to be comparatively low in Russia in the coming years due to the economic fallout of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In 2025, Germany, now the world's third-largest economy, was estimated at over *** trillion U.S. dollars.

Key information about Germany Current Account Balance: % of GDP

• Germany Current Account surplus accounted for 3.9 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2024, compared with a 5.2 % surplus in the previous quarter.
• Germany Current Account Balance: % of Nominal GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1991 to Dec 2024, with an average value of 5.2 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 9.5 % in Mar 2018 and a record low of -2.2 % in Sep 2000.

CEIC calculates Current Account Balance as % of Nominal GDP from monthly Current Account Balance and quarterly Nominal GDP. Deutsche Bundesbank provides Current Account Balance in EUR. Statistisches Bundesamt provides Nominal GDP in EUR.


Key information about Germany Current Account Balance: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of Germany, Current Account recorded a surplus of 16.5 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 23.3 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Germany Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 4.3 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 62.1 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 1,072.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Trade in services (% of GDP) of Germany went up by 2.06% from 21.5 % in 2023 to 22.0 % in 2024. Since the 11.46% drop in 2020, trade in services (% of GDP) rocketed by 31.14% in 2024. Trade in services is the sum of service exports and imports divided by the value of GDP, all in current U.S. dollars.

Exports in Germany decreased to 131.10 EUR Billion in April from 133.30 EUR Billion in March of 2025. This dataset provides - Germany Exports - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Between the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the end of the Great Depression in the late 1930s, the Soviet Union saw the largest growth in its gross domestic product, growing by more than 70 percent between 1929 and 1937/8. The Great Depression began in 1929 in the United States, following the stock market crash in late October. The inter-connectedness of the global economy, particularly between North America and Europe, then came to the fore as the collapse of the U.S. economy exposed the instabilities of other industrialized countries. In contrast, the economic isolation of the Soviet Union and its detachment from the capitalist system meant that it was relatively shielded from these events. 1929-1932 The Soviet Union was one of just three countries listed that experienced GDP growth during the first three years of the Great Depression, with Bulgaria and Denmark being the other two. Bulgaria experienced the largest GDP growth over these three years, increasing by 27 percent, although it was also the only country to experience a decline in growth over the second period. The majority of other European countries saw their GDP growth fall in the depression's early years. However, none experienced the same level of decline as the United States, which dropped by 28 percent. 1932-1938 In the remaining years before the Second World War, all of the listed countries saw their GDP grow significantly, particularly Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Coincidentally, these were the three most powerful nations during the Second World War. This recovery was primarily driven by industrialization, and, again, the U.S., USSR, and Germany all experienced the highest level of industrial growth between 1932 and 1938.

Forecast: ICT Industry Share in GDP in Germany 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Key information about Germany Foreign Direct Investment

• Germany Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 23.3 USD bn in Dec 2024, compared with a drop of 592.2 USD mn in the previous month.
• Germany Foreign Direct Investment: USD mn net flows data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1971 to Dec 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 139.0 USD bn in Feb 2000 and a record low of -32.9 USD bn in Dec 2022.

CEIC converts monthly Foreign Direct Investment into USD. Deutsche Bundesbank provides Foreign Direct Investment in EUR. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.


Related information about Germany Foreign Direct Investment

• In the latest reports of Germany, Current Account recorded a surplus of 16.5 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Germany Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 4.3 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 62.1 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 1,072.8 USD bn in Mar 2023.

For 2024, the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry forecasts a GDP decrease of 0.5 percent compared to 2023. Due to rising commodity and energy prices triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, business expectations for 2024 are subdued. High inflation rates negatively affected consumer sentiment and influence the business situation of German companies.

Key information about Germany Household Debt: % of GDP

• Germany household debt accounted for 50.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2024, compared with the ratio of 50.5 % in the previous quarter.
• Germany household debt to GDP ratio is updated quarterly, available from Dec 1991 to Sep 2024.
• The data reached an all-time high of 70.4 % in Dec 2000 and a record low of 50.3 % in Sep 2024.

CEIC calculates quarterly Household Debt as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Household Debt and quarterly Nominal GDP. Deutsche Bundesbank provides Household Debt in EUR based on ESA 2010. Statistisches Bundesamt provides Nominal GDP in EUR based on ESA 2010. Household Debt as % of Nominal GDP prior to 1999 is based on ESA 1995.


Related information about Germany Household Debt: % of GDP

• In the latest reports, Germany Household Debt reached 2,400.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Money Supply M2 in Germany increased 4.0 % YoY in Nov 2024.
• Germany Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 35.2 USD bn in Dec 2024.
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 0.3 Months of Import in Nov 2024.
• Germany Domestic Credit reached 6,470.9 USD bn in Oct 2024, representing an drop of 6.2 % YoY.
• The country's Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 1.2 % in Dec 2022, compared with the ratio of 1.1 % in the previous year.

Key information about Germany M2 Growth

• Germany Money Supply M2 increased 3.7 % YoY in Jan 2025, compared with a growth of 3.9 % in the previous month
• Germany Money Supply M2 growth data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1970 to Jan 2025
• The data reached an all-time high of 27.0 % in Jan 1991 and a record low of -7.5 % in Apr 1995

CEIC calculates M2 Growth Rate from monthly M2. Deutsche Bundesbank provides M2 in EUR. Germany is part of the Euro Area and the reported figure corresponds to its contribution to the Euro money supply. Since January 1995, data is not fully comparable with data of previous periods as 'Resident' refers to the residents of Germany and of other euro area member states (before that Germany only). M2 Growth Rate prior to January 1996 is sourced from the International Monetary Fund.


Further information about Germany M2 Growth

• In the latest reports, Germany Foreign Exchange Reserves was measured at 36.7 USD bn in Jan 2025
• The Foreign Exchange Reserves equaled 0.3 Months of Import in Dec 2024
• Germany Domestic Credit reached 6,397.0 USD bn in Nov 2024, representing an drop of 2.2 % YoY
• The country's Non Performing Loans Ratio stood at 1.2 % in Dec 2022, compared with the ratio of 1.1 % in the previous year
• Household Debt of Germany reached 2,400.6 USD bn in Sep 2024, accounting for 50.3 % of the country's Nominal GDP

The budget balance in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP) in Germany amounted to approximately -2.76 percent in 2024. Between 1991 and 2024, the budget balance rose by around 0.45 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. The budget balance is expected to drop by about 1.65 percentage points between 2024 and 2030, showing a continuous downward movement throughout the period.The indicator describes the general government net lending / borrowing, which is calculated as revenue minus total expenditure. The International Monetary Fund defines the general government expenditure as consisting of total expenses and the net acquisition of nonfinancial assets. The general government revenue consists of the revenue from taxes, social contributions, grants receivable, and other revenue.

Of the five major belligerent Western European countries in the First World War, the United Kingdom was the only one to experience overall GDP growth, albeit at just one percent. Austria and Germany, the two primary instigators of the war, saw their GDP fall by 38 and 28 percent, respectively. France and Belgium, two nations that saw some of the highest levels of destruction during the war, saw their GDP fall by 25 and 20 percent, respectively.