In January 2026, Germany’s real order backlog in the manufacturing sector fell 0.4 % from December after seasonal and calendar adjustments, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Nevertheless, the backlog rose 6.6 % compared with January 2025 when measured on a calendar‑adjusted basis.
The decline was mainly driven by the automotive industry, which posted a -4.5 % change month‑on‑month after seasonal and calendar adjustment, and by the manufacture of electric equipment, which fell 3.2 %. The overall picture was somewhat offset by a 2.7 % increase in other vehicle manufacturing-including aircraft, ships, trains and military vehicles.
Domestic orders slipped 0.1 % in January 2026 versus December 2025, while foreign orders fell 0.7 %. Backlogs for investment‑goods manufacturers were unchanged month‑on‑month. In interim goods production the backlog declined 0.3 %, and for consumer goods manufacturers it fell 8.5 %.
The coverage of backlogs, expressed in months, rose to 8.3 months in January (up from 8.2 months in December). For investment‑goods manufacturers it reached 11.5 months, a rise from 11.2 months in December. Coverage for interim goods manufacturers grew to 4.5 months, versus 4.4 months in December. In consumer goods manufacturing, coverage fell to 3.6 months from 3.9 months in December.
