Germany’s real manufacturing output saw a 0.3 percent decline in February 2026 compared to January, after seasonal and calendar adjustments. Furthermore, the production volume for the three-month period from December 2025 to February 2026 was 0.4 percent lower than the three months preceding it, according to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Thursday.
For January 2026, the production figure remained unchanged from the previous month (0.0 percent), recovering from a preliminary value of -0.5 percent. When viewed against the same month in the previous year, February 2025, the production for February 2026 showed no change (0.0 percent) after calendar adjustments.
The dip recorded in February 2026 compared to the prior month was attributed to declines in the construction sector (-1.2 percent), and in the manufacturing of data processing, electronic, and optical products (-3.9 percent), along with the pharmaceutical industry (-4.4 percent). However, a positive contributor was the increase in the automotive industry (+1.7 percent).
Overall industrial production decreased by 0.1 percent in February 2026 compared to January, adjusted for seasonality and calendar effects. Within this, consumer goods production dropped by 1.5 percent. In contrast, the output of intermediate goods rose by 0.4 percent, and the production of capital goods increased by 0.1 percent. Outside of industrial activity, energy generation grew by 0.3 percent. When compared to February 2025, industrial production fell by 0.6 percent after calendar adjustments.
In the energy-intensive industrial sectors, production actually increased by 1.9 percent in February 2026 compared to January, adjusting for seasonality and calendar effects. Over the three-month period from December 2025 to February 2026, output in these energy-intensive sectors remained flat (0.0 percent) compared to the three preceding months. Furthermore, against the same period last year, February 2025, energy-intensive production was 0.1 percent higher in February 2026 after calendar adjustments.
