Germany’s main construction sector recorded a 6.8 % increase in real contract inflows in 2025 compared with the previous year. The nominal volume reached €113 billion, a rise of 9.2 % year‑on‑year, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Wednesday.
In the building (Hochbau) segment, real contract inflows grew 7.5 % and nominal inflows 10.1 %. This is the first rise since 2021. Housing construction outpaced non‑housing building: with a real growth of 10.1 % (nominal +12.6 %) versus non‑housing building’s real +5.8 % (nominal +8.4 %). In civil engineering (Tiefbau), real inflows increased 6.2 % and nominal 8.6 % above last year’s peak. Large contracts, notably for railway line rehabilitation and the expansion of digital infrastructure, drove this record performance across the sector.
For December 2025, the calendar‑and‑seasonally adjusted real contract inflow slipped 4.9 % compared with November 2025. Year‑on‑year, the real inflow rose 3.1 % in December, with a nominal increase of 7.8 % versus December 2024.
The sector’s annual turnover reached €120.5 billion in 2025, reflecting a 5.0 % nominal rise and a 2.4 % real increase-its first real growth since 2020. Building operations generated €57.4 billion (real -0.8 %, nominal +1.7 %), while civil engineering totalled €61.7 billion (real +5.8 %, nominal +8.2 %).
The data cover all firms with 20 or more employees in the construction sector. In 2025, about 9 500 companies were recorded, up 0.5 % on the prior year. Across these firms, 540 000 people were employed on average per year-a rise of 5 800 (1.1 %) from 2024. Total wages amounted to €26.6 billion, a nominal gain of 5.8 % over the previous year. Approximately 612 million working hours were logged on construction sites, a slight decline of 0.3 % from 2024.
