Press release No. 173 of 22 May 2026
Gross domestic product (GDP), 1st quarter of 2026
+0.3% on the previous quarter (price, seasonally and calendar adjusted)
+0.5% on the same quarter a year earlier (price adjusted)
+0.4% on the same quarter a year earlier (price and calendar adjusted)
WIESBADEN – The gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.3% in the 1st quarter of 2026 compared with the 4th quarter of 2025 after adjustment for price, seasonal and calendar variations. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that this confirms the result published in the first release of 30 April 2026. "Following the slight increase recorded towards the end of 2025, the German economy also began 2026 in positive territory,” says Ruth Brand, President of the Federal Statistical Office. "In particular, exports rose considerably at the start of the year, helping Germany's economic performance", Brand added.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr |
| -0.1 | -0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | -0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
Increase in exports, government final consumption expenditure also up from previous quarter
Foreign trade grew substantially in the 1st quarter of 2026 after price, seasonal and calendar adjustment. Total exports of goods and services rose by 3.3% following the decline in exports registered in the 4th quarter of 2025. The increase in exports of chemical and pharmaceutical products and of metals, for example, contributed to the positive development at the start of the year. Imports (total) only increased slightly (+0.1%) at the start of 2026.
As in the previous quarters, final consumption expenditure rose after price, seasonal and calendar adjustment, increasing by 0.4% on the 4th quarter of 2025. Government final consumption expenditure increased significantly (+1.1%). By contrast, household final consumption expenditure did not exceed the level of the 4th quarter of 2025. According to most recent calculations, based on a broader body of data, the performance of household final consumption expenditure was weaker than assumed in the GDP first release of 30 April 2026.
After price, seasonal and calendar adjustment, gross fixed capital formation decreased significantly (-1.5%) in the 1st quarter of 2026, after registering an increase at the end of 2025. Gross fixed capital formation in machinery and equipment was down 1.2%, which is attributable to weaker general government fixed capital formation in machinery and equipment. The decline in gross fixed capital formation in construction was even more pronounced, at -2.5%. This development is primarily due to the cold weather conditions in January and February, which slowed construction progress.
Gross value added improved slightly again in 1st quarter of 2026
After adjustment for price, seasonal and calendar variations, gross value added showed a small increase (+0.1%) in the 1st quarter of 2026, after having already risen by 0.3% in the 4th quarter of 2025. In the 1st quarter of 2026, the manufacturing sector registered a marked improvement in value added (+0.7%), following adjustment for price, seasonal and calendar variations. In particular, price-adjusted turnover was up in the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers and in the manufacture of other transport equipment compared with the previous quarter. By contrast, the manufacture of fabricated metal products (except machinery and equipment) and the manufacture of machinery and equipment recorded a decline in output. The construction industry also registered a decline compared with the previous quarter (-0.6%), also due to unfavourable weather conditions at the start of the year. In most service branches there was little to no change in value added compared with the previous quarter. While business services and other services registered a slight decline, the trade, transport, accommodation and food services sector, the information and communication sector, and financial and insurance activities all improved their economic performance in the 1st quarter of 2026 after adjustment for price, seasonal and calendar variations. In the case of the public services, education, health sector, gross value added was largely unchanged relative to the previous quarter.
Gross domestic product increased year on year
GDP in the 1st quarter of 2026 was up a price adjusted 0.5% compared with the 1st quarter of 2025. The increase was smaller (+0.4%) after adjustment for price and calendar effects.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr |
| -1.1 | -0.3 | -0.2 | -0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Final consumption expenditure up on the previous year, gross fixed capital formation in construction down
In the 1st quarter of 2026, price adjusted final consumption expenditure was also up on the same quarter of the previous year, registering an increase of 1.6%. Final consumption expenditure of both households and government showed a positive trend. Household expenditure rose by 0.8% on the same period a year earlier. In the case of government final consumption expenditure, higher spending by the Federation, in particular, contributed to the strong growth of 3.5%. Price adjusted gross fixed capital formation in machinery and equipment also increased compared with the 1st quarter of 2025 (+0.5%), with commercial new registrations of passenger cars, in particular, showing a very positive trend. General government capital formation, which includes investment spending on defence, was also higher than in the previous year. By contrast, gross fixed capital formation in construction declined substantially (-3.3%) compared with the same period a year earlier. In particular, poor weather conditions at the start of the year slowed construction activity.
Developments in foreign trade were mixed in the 1st quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter of 2025. Exports (total) dropped by a price adjusted 0.3%. This was due to a decline in service exports (-2.4%), particularly in the other business services sector (including research and development, professional services and management consultancy services) and the transport services sector. Exports of goods, however, were slightly higher than the previous year's level (+0.4%), due, in part, to increased exports of data processing equipment and electrical equipment.
Imports increased by 1.7%. Trade in services was also down on the import side (-3.2%), with imports of telecommunication services, EDP services, information service activities and other business services, for example, registering a decline. By contrast, imports of goods were much higher (+3.8%) than in the same quarter a year earlier. In particular, there was an increase in imports of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers.
Gross value added up in almost all sectors compared with a year earlier
Price adjusted gross value added increased by a total of 0.5% in the 1st quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter of 2025. After having already increased in the 4th quarter of 2025, value added in manufacturing in the 1st quarter of 2026 was up slightly (+0.1%) compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In particular, the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products and the manufacture of other transport equipment recorded higher turnovers than in the previous year, while the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products and the manufacture of machinery and equipment experienced declines. By contrast, almost all service branches registered an improvement in their economic performance compared with the same quarter of the previous year. Growth of price adjusted value added was particularly strong in the information and communication sector (+2.0%) and in public services, education, health (+1.8%). Only financial and insurance activities recorded a decline (-1.2%). The construction industry saw a continuation of the negative trend in year-on-year gross value added (-4.4%), which has been ongoing for over four years, with both the main construction industry and building completion work registering a drop in output in the 1st quarter of 2026.
Sharp decline in employment
Roughly 45.6 million persons in employment whose place of employment was in Germany contributed to the economic performance in the 1st quarter of 2026. This represented a decrease of 157,000 (-0.3%) compared with the 1st quarter of 2025. The sharp declines registered in manufacturing and the construction industry could not be offset by the slight employment gains in the service sector (see press release no. 167 (only in German) of 19 May 2026).
The average number of hours worked per person in employment rose by 0.3% in the 1st quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter a year earlier, according to first provisional results of the Institute for Employment Research of the Federal Employment Agency. The labour volume of the overall economy - the lower number of persons in employment multiplied by the higher number of hours worked per person in employment - remained unchanged in the same period.
According to provisional calculations, overall labour productivity (price adjusted GDP per hour worked by persons in employment) rose by 0.5% on the same quarter of the previous year. Labour productivity per person in employment was 0.8% higher than a year earlier.
Consumption and income increasing at same pace, savings ratio unchanged from previous year
At current prices, both GDP and gross national income were 3.2% higher in the 1st quarter of 2026 than a year earlier. Net national income at factor costs grew by 3.4% compared with the 1st quarter of 2025, with property and entrepreneurial income increasing at a slower pace (+2.1%) than the compensation of employees. At +3.9%, the increase in the compensation of employees was weaker than in the previous quarters, however. This is due to the decline in the number of employees (-0.3%) and to smaller increases in employers' social contributions (+3.5%). Average gross wages and salaries per employee increased by 4.3% in the 1st quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter a year earlier. The development of extra payments, including severance pay, was a contributing factor to this. Overall the increase in total net wages (+3.9%) was slightly weaker than the increase in total gross wages (+4.0%). This was due to a slightly above-average development in employees' social contributions (+4.2%) and wage tax (+4.3%).
As household final consumption expenditure, at current prices, increased at the same pace as overall household income (both +3.3%) in the 1st quarter of 2026 relative to the 1st quarter of 2025, the savings ratio (12.6%) was at the same level as in the previous year.
Germany's economy compared with other countries
Germany’s economic performance at the start of the year was slightly above the European average: in the 1st quarter of 2026, economic performance in the European Union (EU) as a whole increased by 0.2% quarter on quarter and was slightly below Germany's 0.3% growth. After price, seasonal and calendar adjustment, the biggest GDP growth among the other large EU Member States was reported in Spain (+0.6%). Economic performance was also up in Italy (+0.2%) but stagnated in France. In the United States, GDP rose by 0.5% on the 4th quarter of 2025.
Year on year, and after adjustment for price, seasonal and calendar variations, Germany's economic performance increased slightly by 0.3%, while the EU as a whole registered significant growth of 1.0%.
| USA | Euroarea | EU 27 | France | Italy | Spain | Germany | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous quarter: change on the fourth quarter of 2025; Same quarter of the previous year: change on the first quarter of 2025. Source: Eurostat and own calculations | |||||||
| Previous quarter | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Same quarter of the previous year | 2.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
A detailed comparison of the growth rates of EU Member States is available on the "Europe in figures" page on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
Revision of previous results
In addition to calculating data for the 1st quarter of 2026, the Federal Statistical Office also reviewed the results for all four quarters of 2025, and the year 2025.
Taking into account the statistical information that became available after the first release of 30 April 2026, no changes to the results published so far for the total price adjusted gross domestic product have been necessary.
Methodological notes:
The differing comparative periods must be taken into account in all press releases on short-term indicators. Short-term economic monitoring focuses on comparisons of seasonally and calendar adjusted figures with those of the previous month or quarter. These reflect short-term economic trends. Year-on-year comparisons enable long-term comparisons of levels and are largely independent of seasonal fluctuations.
With its first provisional results for quarterly GPD (first release), the Federal Statistical Office provides an up-to-date assessment of overall economic development as early as roughly 30 days after the end of a quarter. As the availability of data is very limited at such an early release date, first results are always subject to greater uncertainties than the more detailed results. These are generally published 25 days later and their data basis is much more precise, especially as regards the last month of each reference quarter. After that, the results are revised several times to factor in new statistical information. More detailed information on the revisions cycle in national accounts is provided by the revision calendar (only in German) on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
More information:
More detailed results are contained in tables 81000 of the GENESIS-Online database and our German publications Fachserie 18 "Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnungen", Reihe 1.2 "Vierteljahresergebnisse" and Series 1.3 "Saisonbereinigte Vierteljahresergebnisse nach X13". A long time series containing quarterly results on the gross domestic product since the first quarter of 1970 is available in the "Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnungen“ statistical report (only in German).
The GDP can also be found on the "Economic Dashboard" (www.dashboard-konjunktur.de) (only in German). In this data portal, the Federal Statistical Office brings together high-frequency indicators from official statistics producers and other data providers on the topics of the economy, finance, the labour market, construction and energy.
| Unadjusted figures | Figures according to X13 price adjusted | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At current prices | Price adjusted, chain-linked | Seasonally and calendar adjusted | Calendar adjusted | |||||
| EUR billion | % 1a | 2020 = 100 | % 1a | 2020 = 100 | % 2a | % 1a 3a | ||
| 1a: Change on the previous year or on the same quarter of the previous year. 2a: Change on the previous year or on the previous quarter in %. 3a: For full years, the calendar adjusted values are equal to the seasonally and calendar adjusted values (except for rounding discrepancies). qtr = quarter | ||||||||
| 2025 | 4,469.81 | 3.3 | 104.58 | 0.2 | 104.77 | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
| 2025 | 1st qtr | 1,101.52 | 2.8 | 104.65 | 0.1 | 104.88 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| 2nd qtr | 1,095.94 | 3.0 | 102.71 | 0.0 | 104.67 | -0.2 | 0.4 | |
| 3rd qtr | 1,120.37 | 3.4 | 104.94 | 0.3 | 104.63 | 0.0 | 0.3 | |
| 4th qtr | 1,151.98 | 3.7 | 106.04 | 0.5 | 104.88 | 0.2 | 0.4 | |
| 2026 | 1st qtr | 1,136.92 | 3.2 | 105.15 | 0.5 | 105.24 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| 2025 | 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr | |
| 1b: Including acquisitions less disposals of valuables and the statistical difference. 2b: Contributions to growth of price-adjusted GDP, percentage points. 3b: Only seasonally adjusted. qtr = quarter | |||||
| Unadjusted figures Change on the previous year | |||||
| Final consumption expenditure | 1.6 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Household final consumption expenditure | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 |
| Government final consumption expenditure | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 3.5 |
| Gross capital formation | 1.8 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 0.1 |
| Gross fixed capital formation | -1.3 | -1.3 | 0.3 | 1.5 | -0.8 |
| Gross fixed capital formation in construction | -1.5 | -1.5 | -0.5 | 0.1 | -3.3 |
| Gross fixed capital formation in machinery and equipment | -4.3 | -4.1 | -0.6 | 2.2 | 0.5 |
| Other fixed assets | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
| Changes in inventories 1b 2b | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Domestic uses | 1.6 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Exports | -0.1 | -2.4 | -0.9 | 0.0 | -0.3 |
| Imports | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 1.7 |
| Balance of exports and imports (net exports) 2b | -1.4 | -2.2 | -1.2 | -1.3 | -0.7 |
| Gross domestic product | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| memorandum item: | |||||
| GDP per person in employment | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| GDP per hour worked by persons in employment | -0.2 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Seasonally and calendar adjusted figures change on the previous quarter | |||||
| Final consumption expenditure | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Household final consumption expenditure | 1.1 | 0.1 | -0.3 | 0.6 | 0.0 |
| Government final consumption expenditure | -0.7 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 1.1 |
| Gross capital formation | -3.8 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 2.4 | -5.3 |
| Gross fixed capital formation | 0.5 | -0.9 | 0.1 | 1.3 | -1.5 |
| Gross fixed capital formation in construction | 0.5 | -0.9 | -0.7 | 0.8 | -2.5 |
| Gross fixed capital formation in machinery and equipment | 0.4 | -2.2 | 1.2 | 2.5 | -1.2 |
| Other fixed assets | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Changes in inventories 1b 2b | -1.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | -0.9 |
| Domestic uses | -0.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | -0.9 |
| Exports | 3.4 | -1.2 | -1.1 | -1.5 | 3.3 |
| Imports | 1.6 | 0.8 | -0.4 | 1.0 | 0.1 |
| Balance of exports and imports (net exports)2b | 0.8 | -0.8 | -0.3 | -1.0 | 1.3 |
| Gross domestic product (GDP) | 0.4 | -0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 |
| memorandum item: | |||||
| GDP per person in employment | 0.3 | -0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| GDP per hour worked by persons in employment 3b | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | -0.8 | 0.6 |
| 2025 | 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st qtr | 2nd qtr | 3rd qtr | 4th qtr | 1st qtr | |
| qtr = quarter | |||||
| Unadjusted figures Change on the previous year | |||||
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 0.3 |
| Industry, excluding construction | -2.0 | -1.6 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| including: | |||||
| Manufacturing | -1.8 | -2.0 | -0.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
| Construction | -4.5 | -5.3 | -3.0 | -1.6 | -4.4 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Information and communication | 1.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Financial and insurance activities | -3.9 | -4.4 | -3.9 | -3.0 | -1.2 |
| Real estate activities | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| Business services | -1.0 | -1.2 | -0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Public services, education, health | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Other services | -0.1 | -0.8 | -0.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Gross value added, total | -0.5 | -0.6 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Seasonally and calendar adjusted figures change on the previous quarter | |||||
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 1.2 | 0.1 | 1.4 | -0.1 | -1.0 |
| Industry, excluding construction | 1.4 | -0.1 | -0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| including: | |||||
| Manufacturing | 1.7 | -0.2 | -1.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
| Construction | 1.3 | -2.1 | -0.8 | -0.6 | -0.6 |
| Trade, transport, accommodation and food services | 1.1 | -0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Information and communication | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Financial and insurance activities | -0.7 | -1.7 | -0.6 | -0.1 | 1.2 |
| Real estate activities | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | -0.2 |
| Business services | -0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | -0.1 | -0.1 |
| Public services, education, health | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Other services | -0.8 | -0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | -0.2 |
| Gross value added, total | 0.6 | -0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 |