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Germany Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts; economic, financial and trade information; the best banks in Germany; country and population overview

DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bank Deutsche Bundesbank (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold $136.2 billion (31 December 2007 estimate)
Gross Domestic Product - GDP 3,652,824 millions of US dollars (2009)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) 2,925,220 millions of International dollars (2009)
Real GDP growth
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
1.2% 0.0% -0.2% 1.2% 0.7% 3.2% 2.5% 1.2%

2009: -5.3% (estimate)    

2010: 0.3% (forecast)

GDP per capita - current prices $39,442 (2009 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP $34,219 International Dollars (2009 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total 3.958% (2010 forecast)
GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 0.9%
  • industry: 30.1%
  • services: 69% (2008 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP) 2.52% (2006)
Inflation

2.8% (2008)

0.1% (2009)
Unemployment rate 7.4% (2008)
8.0% (2009 estimate)
10.7% (2010 forecast)
Household saving rates 10.8% (2007)
Public debt (% of GDP) 65.46% (2008)
Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: AAA/Stable/A-1+

Moody's rating: Aaa

Moody's outlook: STA

(Foreign Currency Government Bond Ratings; Data last updated Nov 2009)
Market value of publicly traded shares US$2.106 trillion (31 December 2007)
Largest companies in Germany Volkswagen Group, Siemens, Deutsche Bank, RWE Group, E.ON (2009)
FT top 50 banks in the world by market value 2009
  • Deutsche Bank
DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balance US$ 279.017 billion (2008)
Shares in world total merchandising export 9.51% (2007)
Shares in world total commercial services export 6.25% (2007)
Total exports US$1.53 trillion f.o.b. (2008 estimate)
Export commodities machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Total imports US$1.202 trillion f.o.b. (2008 estimate)
Import commodities machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Exports - major partners France 9.7%, US 7.5%, UK 7.3%, Italy 6.7%, Netherlands 6.4%, Austria 5.4%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 5% (2007)
Imports - major partners Netherlands 12%, France 8.6%, Belgium 7.8%, China 6.2%, Italy 5.8%, UK 5.6%, US 4.5%, Austria 4.4% (2007)
FDI inflows
2007 2008
US$56.407 million US$24.939 million
FDI outflows
2007 2008
US$179.547 million US$156.457 million(2009)
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2007 2008 2009 (Jan-Jun)
US$59.474 million(2009) US$57.294 million(2009) US$4.950 million(2009)
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2007

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

Lehigh UK Ltd, Hanson PLC, United Kingdom, $15.6 billion
Allianz AG,Assurances Generales de France SA, France, $11.1 billion
Merck KGaA, Serono International SA, Switzerland, $8.6 billions
Hypo Real Estate Holding AG, DEPFA Bank PLC, Ireland, $7.8 billions
Siemens AG, Bayer Healthcare AG United States , $5.3 billion
E ON AG, WGC-4, Russian Federation, $3.9 billion
Siemens Automation & Drives Group, UGS Corp, United States, $3.5 billion
TUI Travel, First Choice Holidays PLC, United Kingdom, $3.4 billion
(2007)(2009)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2008

(Acquiring company, Acquired company, Country of the acquired company, Value of the deal)

E ON AG, Endesa Italia, Italy, $14.3 billion
Fresenius SE, APP Pharmaceuticals Inc, United States, $5.6 billion
Systeme Anwendungen Produkte AG, Business Objects SA, United States, $5.5 billion
Henkel AG & Co KGaA, National Starch & Chemical Co., United States, $5.5 billion
Volkswagen AG, Scania AB, Sweden, $4.4 billion
Deutsche Telekom AG, Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA, Greece, $4.0 billion
E ON AG, Enel Viesgo SA, Spain, $3.2 billion
(2009) (2009)

(for a monthly update on M&A click here )

Best countries for doing business

(ranking by country on a basis of 181, the first is the best)

Overall ranking: 25(2009) (2009)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 84

Employing workers: 158(2009)

Registering property: 57(2009)

Getting credit: 15

Protecting investors: 93(2008 estimate)

Trading across border: 14(2009)

(2009)
Global competitiveness ranking
(ranking by country on a basis of 133, the first is the best)		 7 (2009/2010)(2009)
Economic freedom index

70.5 (2009)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed )
COUNTRY AND POPULATION OVERVIEW
Time zone UTC+1
Total area 357,022 km2 (2006)
Capital Berlin (2009)
Currency euros (EUR) (2009)
Government type federal republic (2009)
Languages German
Religions Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
Total population 82.03 million (2009 forecast)
Urban population as % of total population 75% (2006)
Population median age 42.0 years (2006)
Population growth rate 0.00% (2006)
Life expectancy 79 years (2007)
Adult literacy -
% of population living on less than $2 a day -
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

28.3 (2000)

(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Freedom House rating

Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1 (2009)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

182.69% (2007)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 72.00% (2007)
Cost of living - Mercer index

(ranking by city on a basis of 143; the 1st is the most expensive and the 143rd is the least expensive; New York is the base city)

New York - Index: 100 (Base)

Munich: 47th - Index: 81.2
Berlin: 49th - Index: 80.8
Frankfurt: 48th - Index: 80.9
Düsseldorf: 54th - Index: 79.6
Hamburg: 56th - Index: 78.7
Leipzig: 101th - Index: 68.1 (2009)
CO2 emissions

9.7881 (2004)

(metric tons of CO2 per capita)
GLOBAL FINANCE RANKINGS AND AWARDS

WORLD'S BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE BANKS

2009:
  • GLOBAL WINNER Deutsche Bank (Global, 2009)
  • REGIONAL WINNERS Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2009)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2009)
  • Global Winner / Best Strategy/Hedging Deutsche Bank (Global, 2009)
2008:
  • GLOBAL WINNER Deutsche Bank (Global, 2008)
  • REGIONAL WINNERS Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2008)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)
  • Global Winner / Best Strategy/Hedging Deutsche Bank (Global, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST TREASURY & CASH MANAGEMENT BANKS & PROVIDERS

2009:
  • Best Overall Bank for Cash Management Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2009)
  • Best Bank for Risk Management Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2009)
  • Best Bank for Payments and Collections Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2009)
2008:
  • Best Overall Bank for Cash Management Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2008)
  • Best Bank for Payments and Collections Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST TRADE FINANCE PROVIDERS

2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2009)
2008:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST DEVELOPED MARKET BANKS

2009:
  • Commerzbank (Europe, 2009)
2008:
  • Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)

WORLD'S MID YEAR SAFEST BANKS RANKINGS

(ranking of the 50 safest banks in the world; the first is the safest)
2009:
  • Deutsche Bank (28, 2009)
  • KfW (1, 2009)
  • Landeskreditbank Baden-Wuerttemberg-Förderbank (7, 2009)
  • Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank (4, 2009)
  • NRW Bank (8, 2009)

WORLD'S BEST GLOBAL BANKS

2009:
  • Foreign Exchange Deutsche Bank (Global, 2009)
2008:
  • Foreign Exchange Deutsche Bank (Global, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST DERIVATIVES PROVIDERS

2009:
  • Best FX Derivatives Provider Deutsche Bank (Europe, 2009)
2008:
  • Best FX Derivatives Provider Deutsche Bank (Europe, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST INTERNET BANKS

2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Banks Citi (2009)
2008:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Banks Citi (2008)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS / Best Consumer Internet Banks Citi (2008)

WORLD'S BEST ISLAMIC FINANCE INSTITUTIONS

2008:
  • REGIONAL WINNERS Deutsche Bank (Europe, 2008)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)

WORLD'S SAFEST BANKS

2008:
  • OVERALL SAFEST Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank (National, 2008)
  • OVERALL SAFEST Landeskreditbank Baden-Wuerttemberg-Förderbank (National, 2008)
  • OVERALL SAFEST NRW Bank (National, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST SUB CUSTODIANS

2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2009)
2008:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST INVESTMENT BANKS

2009:
  • Best Debt Bank Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2009)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2009)
2008:
  • Best Investment Bank Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2008)
  • Best Debt Bank Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2008)
  • Best M&A Bank Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2008)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)
ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE