Germany
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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

alt DATA ON GDP AND ECONOMIC INFORMATION
Central bank alt

Deutsche Bundesbank

Germany is part of the Eurosystem and the European Central Bank
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold alt $178.717 billion (Source: IMF; Data updated: January 2010)
Gross Domestic Product - GDP alt 3,652,824 millions of US dollars (2008)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) alt 2,925,220 millions of International dollars (2008)
Real GDP growth alt
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: -5.0% (estimate)    

2010: 1.2% (forecast)

 
GDP per capita - current prices alt $40,679 (2010 estimate)
GDP per capita - PPP alt $34,905 International Dollars (2010 estimate)
GDP (PPP) - share of world total alt 3.92% (2010 estimate)
GDP - composition by sector alt
  • agriculture: 0.9%
  • industry: 30.1%
  • services: 69% (2008 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (% of GDP) alt 2.52% (2006)
Inflation alt

2.8% (2008)

0.1% (2009)

0.9(2008)% (2010 forecast)
Unemployment rate alt 7.2% (2008)
7.4% (2009)
8.6% (2010 forecast)(2009)
Household saving rates alt 10.8% (2007)
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) alt

2007: 65.46%

2010: 84.5% (forecast)
Government bond ratings alt

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 alt US$2.106 trillion (31 December 2007)
Largest companies in Germany alt Allianz (Insurance), E.ON (Utilities), Deutsche Bank (Banking), Siemens (Conglomerates), RWE Group (Utilities), Munich Re (Insurance), BASF (Chemicals), Bayer Group (Chemicals), Deutsche Telekom (Telecommunications Services), Deutsche Post DHL (Transportation), BMW Group (Consumer Durables)
(2010)
alt DATA ON TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS
Current account balance alt US$ 181.91 billion (2010 forecast)(After 2008)
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Current account balance by percentage of GDP alt 5.5% of GDP (2010 forecast)(After 2008)
Shares in world total merchandising export alt 9.51% (2007)(2007)
Shares in world total commercial services export alt 6.25% (2007)(2007)
Total exports alt US$1.53 trillion f.o.b. (2008 estimate)
Export commodities alt machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles
Total imports alt US$1.202 trillion f.o.b. (2008 estimate)
Import commodities alt machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals
Exports - major partners alt 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 alt 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 alt
2007 2008
US$56,407 million(2009) US$24,939 million(2009)
FDI outflows alt
2007 2008  
US$179,547 million(2009) US$156,457 million(2009)  
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser alt
2007 2008 2009 (Jan-Jun)
US$59,474 million 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)

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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)

(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)

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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
(2008 estimate)

(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)

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Overall ranking: 25(2009) (2009)

Subcategories:

Starting a business: 84(2009)

Employing workers: 158

Registering property: 57

Getting credit: 15

Protecting investors: 93

Trading across border: 14

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

70.5 (2009)

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

28.3 (2000)

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

Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1 (2009)

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

182.69% (2007)

(sum of fixed telephone lines and mobile cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population alt 75.33% (data refer to 2008 and were released in 2009)
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)

 alt

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 alt

9.7881 (2004)

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

WORLD'S BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE BANKS

2010:
  • GLOBAL WINNER Deutsche Bank (Global, 2010)
  • REGIONAL WINNERS Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2010)
  • REGIONAL WINNERS Deutsche Bank (Central and Eastern Europe, 2010)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2010)
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

2010:
  • Best Overall Bank for Cash Management Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2010)
  • Best Bank for Risk Management Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2010)
  • Best Bank for Payments and Collections Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2010)
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

2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2009)
2008:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST DEVELOPED MARKET BANKS

2010:
  • Deutsche Bank (National, 2010)
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

2010:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2010)
2009:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2009)
2008:
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2008)

WORLD'S BEST INVESTMENT BANKS

2010:
  • Best Investment Bank Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2010)
  • Best Debt Bank Deutsche Bank (Western Europe, 2010)
  • COUNTRY WINNERS Deutsche Bank (National, 2010)
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)
alt ARTICLES AND COUNTRIES REPORTS FROM GLOBAL FINANCE ARCHIVE