
Small Is Beautiful
Encouraged by government stimulus programs, banks are finding new ways to finance SMEs. Once the economy recovers, will the surge of interest recede?
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.
Angela Merkel’s center-right Christian Democratic Union chose Armin Laschet to lead the party.
USD 64.7 billion (2016)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved January 2017
USD 3,618.6 billion (2017, estimate)
Intl$ 4,122.4 billion (2017, estimate)
2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
3.9% | 3.4% | 0.8% | -5.6% | 4% | 3.7% | 0.7% |
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* | ||
0.6% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 1.4% |
*Estimate
USD 43,686.4 (2017, estimate)
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2017* |
6.54% | 5.96% | 4.82% | 3.63% | 3.3% |
*Estimate
(2016 estimate)
2.9% (2014)
OECD, data retrieved January 2017
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
1.6% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 1.5% |
*Estimate
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
5.2% | 5.0% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 4.5% |
*Estimate
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
77.1% | 74.5% | 71% | 68.2% | 65.9% |
*Estimate
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* |
-0.2% | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
*Estimate
Standard & Poor's: AAA
Moody's: Aaa
Standard & Poor's / Moody's (Updated January 2017)
2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD 1936.1 billion | USD 1738.5 billion | USD 1715.8 billion |
Allianz, Volkswagen Group, Daimler, BMW Group, Siemens, Deutsche Telekom, BASF, Bayer, Munich Re, SAP, Continental, Deutsche Post, Fresenius, Henkel, Linde, Merck, Commerzbank, Talanx, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Lufthansa, HeidelbergCement, E.ON, Evonik, Adidas, ThyssenKrupp Group, Porsche Automobil Holding, Deutsche Boerse, RWE Group, Metro Group, Schaeffler, Deutsche Annington Immobilien, EnBW-Energie Baden, Beiersdorf, Infineon Technologies, TUI, Deutsche Wohnen, W&W-Wüstenrot, Brenntag, Aareal Bank, GEA Group, OSRAM Licht, Nürnberger, ProSiebenSat1 Media, Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, United Internet, BayWa, Aurubis, K+S, Aroundtown Property Holdings, DVB Bank.
8.1% (2017 estimate)
46.8% (2015)
8.1% (2015)
5.2% (2015)
Motor vehicles, machinery, chemicals, computer and electronic products, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, metals, transport equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, rubber and plastic products
Machinery, data processing equipment, vehicles, chemicals, oil and gas, metals, electric equipment, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, agricultural products
US 9.6%, France 8.6%, UK 7.5%, Netherlands 6.6%, China 6%, Italy 4.9%, Austria 4.8%, Poland 4.4%, Switzerland 4.2% (2015)
Netherlands 13.7%, France 7.6%, China 7.3%, Belgium 6%, Italy 5.2%, Poland 5%, US 4.7%, Czech Republic 4.5%, UK 4.2%, Austria 4.2%, Switzerland 4.2% (2015)
2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD 11,671 million | USD 880 million | USD 31,719 million |
2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD 40,362 million | USD 106,246 million | USD 94,313 million |
2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
USD 15674.2 million | USD 6673.7 million | USD 44135.7 million | USD 46668.9 million |
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
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
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: 17 out of 190 countries (2016)
Subcategories:
Starting a business: 114 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 17 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 79 out of 190 countries
Getting credit: 32 out of 190 countries
Protecting investors: 53 out of 190 countries
Trading across border: 38 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 48 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 12 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 5 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 3 out of 190 countries
5 out of 138 countries
(2016-2017)
Ranking: 17 / Score: 74.37 (Mostly free) (2017)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
German (official)
Note: Danish, Frisian, Sorbian, and Romany are official minority languages; Low German, Danish, North Frisian, Sater Frisian, Lower Sorbian, Upper Sorbian, and Romany are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%
1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2016* | 2021* |
79.246 million | 82.26 million | 81.752 million | 82.571 million | 83.276 million |
*Estimate
1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2015 |
71% | 73% | 73% | 75% |
30.1 (2011)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1 (2017)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Fixed 54.93% Mobile 116.71% (2015)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Munich: 77th
Frankfurt: 88th
Berlin: 100th
Dusseldorf: 107th
Hamburg: 113th
Stuttgart: 129th
Nurnberg: 160th
Leipzig: 165th
(2016)