Real output in Germany’s manufacturing sector fell 0.5 % in January 2026 compared with December, after seasonal and calendar‑day adjustments. In the less volatile three‑month average from November 2025 to January 2026, output was 0.9 % higher than in the preceding three months, according to preliminary figures released by Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) on Monday. In December 2025, output slipped 1.0 % versus November 2025 once preliminary results were revised (the provisional figure was -1.9 %). Compared with January 2025, January 2026 output was 1.2 % lower after calendar adjustment.
Much of the decline was driven by a 12.4 % drop in manufacturing of metal goods; production also fell 11.9 % in pharmaceuticals and 6.8 % in the manufacturing of data‑processing equipment, electronics and optical goods, all weighing on the overall balance.
An upside came from a 10.3 % rise in energy production. The sharp increase may be linked to the unusually cold temperatures in January 2026, while the high number of ice‑ and frost‑days appears to have hurt civil‑engineering construction: output in this sector fell 7.5 % in January 2026, though overall construction output actually grew by 2.9 %.
Industry production-defined as manufacturing excluding energy and construction-fell 2.5 % on a season‑ and calendar‑adjusted basis versus December 2025. Within this category, consumer‑good output dropped 4.2 %, intermediate‑good output fell 2.6 %, and investment‑good output was down 1.6 %. Year‑over‑year, industry production in January 2026 was 2.6 % lower than in January 2025.
In energy‑intensive sectors, output fell 0.8 % on a season‑ and calendar‑adjusted basis versus December 2025. In the three‑month average, production in these sectors from November 2025 to January 2026 was 1.8 % lower than in the preceding three months. Compared with January 2025, energy‑intensive production in January 2026 was 4.3 % lower after calendar adjustment.