Germany’s gross domestic product rose in the fourth quarter of 2025, showing a 0.3 % increase over the previous quarter once price, seasonal and calendar effects were removed. The data, released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Wednesday, validated the January end‑of‑year preliminary estimate. As Destatis chief Ruth Brand noted, the year finished on a positive note, largely thanks to higher private and public consumption and a strong rebound in construction investment.
For the full year 2025, the latest calculations confirm a 0.2 % year‑on‑year increase in economic output; when adjusted for the calendar, the rise is 0.3 %. In the fourth quarter, overall consumption grew by 0.7 %. The government’s spending, up 1.1 %, outpaced private households, which increased by 0.5 %. Investment also gained momentum: construction spending rose 1.6 %, and equipment investment – covering machinery, devices, and vehicles – grew, though it steadied at a modest 0.1 % after the sharp uptick seen in the third quarter.
Trade figures remained weak. Exports fell by 0.6 % on price, seasonal and calendar bases compared with the third quarter, with goods exports down 0.4 % and services exports down 1.2 %. Imports also slipped, by 0.3 % on the same basis, slightly less than exports. Service imports declined sharply at 1.5 %, while goods imports edged up 0.2 %.
Gross value added for the quarter rose 0.4 % after a flat quarter. Construction added 1.7 % of total output, marking the largest contribution. Service sectors also grew, but retail, transport, and hospitality performance remained unchanged. Public services, education, health, and other services saw a 0.8 % increase. Manufacturing as a whole stayed flat; metal product makers and electrical equipment producers gained, whereas the chemical industry and machine building sector contracted.
Year‑on‑year comparison shows that the fourth‑quarter 2025 GDP is 0.6 % higher than the same quarter in 2024 when indexed to prices. Adjusted for price and the calendar, the rise is 0.4 %, attributed to 0.7 additional working days in the period.