According to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday, real production within Germany’s manufacturing sector rose by 0.9 percent in May 2026 compared to April, after adjusting for seasonal and calendar effects. Furthermore, when looking at the less volatile three-month comparison, production from March to May 2026 was 0.1 percent higher than the three months prior.
In April 2026, production had increased by 0.2 percent compared to March, following a revision of earlier preliminary figures (the initial value was +0.4 percent). Despite this positive monthly trend, production in May 2026 remained unchanged, recording 0.0 percent when adjusted for calendar factors compared to May 2025.
The positive momentum in May was significantly driven by growth in the automotive industry, which saw an increase of 3.6 percent year-over-year (seasonal and calendar adjusted compared to the previous month). Growth in the construction sector at 0.9 percent also contributed positively to the overall result.
Excluding energy and construction, industrial production rose by 0.8 percent in May 2026 compared to April 2026 (seasonal and calendar adjusted). Among the industrial components, the production of capital goods increased by 1.3 percent, and consumer goods increased by 1.2 percent. Conversely, the production of intermediate goods declined by 0.4 percent. Outside of the industrial sector, energy generation saw a rise of 0.8 percent. However, when comparing industrial production to May 2025, it fell by 1.0 percent (calendar-adjusted).
Focusing on energy-intensive industries, production grew by 0.2 percent in May 2026 compared to April 2026 (seasonal and calendar adjusted). Over the three-month period from March to May 2026, production in energy-intensive sectors was 3.2 percent higher than in the three months before it. Compared to May 2025, energy-intensive production was up 2.9 percent (calendar-adjusted) in May 2026.
