Germany’s public sector recorded a financial wealth of €1,134.2 billion as of the end of 2024, according to data released Monday by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). This figure represents a decrease of 2.0 percent, or €22.6 billion, compared to the end of 2023.
The public sector encompasses the budgets of the federal government, states (Länder), municipalities and special-purpose associations, as well as social security entities, including all extra-budgetary bodies. The non-public sector includes credit institutions, domestic and foreign entities, such as private companies both within and outside of Germany.
The federal government’s financial wealth declined by 2.4 percent, amounting to €10.6 billion, to reach €435.0 billion. This reduction is largely attributed to ongoing portfolio depletion within the FMS Wertmanagement special asset management entity.
Financial wealth among the Länder decreased by 0.3 percent, or €1.0 billion, to €281.8 billion. Performance varied significantly across individual states, with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern experiencing the largest percentage increase (+22.7 percent), followed by Saxony (+11.0 percent) and Brandenburg (+10.8 percent). Saxony’s surge is directly linked to increased assets within the state’s generational fund. Conversely, Saxony-Anhalt (-15.3 percent), Bremen (-14.8 percent) and Lower Saxony (-12.9 percent) demonstrated the most considerable percentage decreases in financial wealth.
Municipalities and special-purpose associations recorded a nearly unchanged financial wealth in 2024, rising by just €15.6 million (+0.0 percent) to reach €246.9 billion compared to the prior year.
Notable percentage increases in financial wealth were observed among municipalities and associations in Saxony-Anhalt (+7.0 percent), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (+6.3 percent) and Rhineland-Palatinate (+4.4 percent). The largest percentage declines in municipal financial wealth were seen in Schleswig-Holstein (-3.5 percent), Bavaria (-2.8 percent) and Baden-Württemberg (-1.7 percent).
As of the end of 2024, social security entities held a financial wealth of €170.3 billion within the non-public sector, a decrease of €11.1 billion, representing a 6.1 percent reduction compared to the previous year, according to Destatis.