German economy

deutsche wirtschaft

The German economy is the largest in Europe and the third largest in the world behind the United States and Japan.  The Germans call their national economy a soziale Marktwirtschaft, or a social market economy.  They put emphasis on the social aspect of the economy, stressing that the economy does not only support the wealthy but also cares for the workers or others who may not perform well in a pure market economy.

Germany is increasingly a service-sector economy, though the industrial sector remains the driving force behind the economy.  The skilled labor force of Germany and its geographic proximity to several large markets allows Germany to focus much of its attention on the exportation of goods and services.  

There is a great deal more information to know about Germany and its economy.  The following links attempt to break down the information into sizable chunks that are easy to understand.  "Quick Facts" will give you some basic statistics about Germany.  "Domestic Economy" breaks down the economy by sector, and "Bundesländer" explains the economies in each of Germany's sixteen federal states..

•  The Basics about the German Economy

  • Quick Facts

  • Economic Timeline

• The Domestic Economy

  • Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

  • Industry

  • The Financial System

  • Other Sectors

• The Bundesländer

  • Baden-Württemberg

  • Bayern

  • Berlin

  • Brandenburg

  • Bremen

  • Hamburg

  • Hessen

  • Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

  • Niedersachsen

  • Nordrhein-Westfalen

  • Rheinland-Pfalz

  • Saarland

  • Sachsen

  • Sachsen-Anhalt

  • Schleswig-Holstein

  • Thüringen

The map below should help to visualize the different industrial regions in Germany.