Germany’s real order book in manufacturing fell 0.4 percent in January 2026 compared with December when seasonally and calendar‑adjusted, according to provisional data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Compared with January 2025, the order book rose 6.6 percent on a calendar‑adjusted basis.
The decline is mainly driven by the automotive sector, which posted a 4.5 percent drop from the previous month (seasonally and calendar‑adjusted), and by the electrical equipment industry, down 3.2 percent. The overall picture was partially buoyed by increased orders in other vehicle manufacturing-such as aircraft, ships, trains and military hardware-which rose 2.7 percent.
Domestic orders slipped 0.1 percent in January 2026 versus December 2025, while foreign orders fell 0.7 percent. Manufacturers of investment goods recorded no change in their order book from the previous month. In the supplier goods sector, orders dropped 0.3 percent, whereas consumer goods manufacturers experienced an 8.5 percent decline.
The coverage period, expressed in months of production for an existing order book, rose to 8.3 months in January (down from 8.2 months in December). For investment goods manufacturers, the period extended to 11.5 months (previously 11.2 months), and for supplier goods producers it increased to 4.5 months (from 4.4 months). The coverage for consumer goods manufacturers fell to 3.6 months, compared with 3.9 months in December.