According to a study, Germany is still among the world leaders in eleven sectors. In addition to cars, there are also several surprises. However, one trend is worrying – Germany has a lot of work to do if it wants to counteract this.

Germany’s industry is doing badly, companies are leaving – a lot of the news about the economic situation in this country is not characterized by optimism. However, the study carried out by the Prognos research institute on behalf of “Handelsblatt” gives hope. Germany is world class in eleven sectors. Prognos is oriented towards global exports.

In this context, Weltklasse means that Germany is one of the top three countries that export the most in this category. The data used for this comes from 2022 (world export share) and 2020 (innovative strength and depth of added value). This is because comparative data from other economies is needed, which is not yet fully available.

In addition to sectors in which Germany is, as expected, one of the world’s best, there are also some surprises in the list. These include, for example, the glass and ceramics industry as well as the pharmaceutical industry, in which Germany is even the world export champion. Germany is in the top 3 in the following sectors:

1. Vehicle construction

1. Pharma

2. Food, drinks, tobacco

2. Wood, paper, printing

2. Rubber and plastic

2. Glass and ceramics

2. Metal products

2. Electrical equipment

2. Mechanical engineering

3. Chemistry

3. Other vehicle construction

The depth of added value, i.e. the proportion to which an industry produces individual parts for products itself, is constant compared to 2012, which was used as a reference. There are no signs that Germany is mutating into a so-called “bazaar economy,” say the researchers. “Germany was never a bazaar economy,” explains Michael Böhmer, chief economist at Prognos, to the “Handelsblatt,” “and it doesn’t become one because the term is picked up again every few years.”

However, Germany is also threatened with adversity. The innovative strength, which is measured by the number of relevant patents registered worldwide, is tending to decline. “Something has started to slip here and it will be very difficult to stop if we don’t take countermeasures in time,” warns Böhmer.