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Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita
Year Value Units
1991 30.41 1,000 euros
1992 30.819 1,000 euros
1993 30.351 1,000 euros
1994 31.062 1,000 euros
1995 31.467 1,000 euros
1996 31.732 1,000 euros
1997 32.303 1,000 euros
1998 33.007 1,000 euros
1999 33.72 1,000 euros
2000 34.675 1,000 euros
2001 35.216 1,000 euros
2002 35.11 1,000 euros
2003 34.936 1,000 euros
2004 35.383 1,000 euros
2005 35.748 1,000 euros
2006 37.201 1,000 euros
2007 38.362 1,000 euros
2008 38.821 1,000 euros
2009 36.796 1,000 euros
2010 38.417 1,000 euros
2011 39.865 1,000 euros
2012 39.979 1,000 euros
2013 40.024 1,000 euros
2014 40.722 1,000 euros
2015 41.038 1,000 euros
2016 41.643 1,000 euros
2017 42.614 1,000 euros
2018 42.961 1,000 euros
2019 43.287 1,000 euros
2020 41.481 1,000 euros
2021 42.985 1,000 euros
2022 43.261 1,000 euros
2023 42.78 1,000 euros
2024 42.576 1,000 euros

Data source: Federal Statistical Office

Geographical Area: Germany

This table includes additional information to the above visualized indicators, like a short definition of this indicator and a description of the politically determined target values as well as explaining the political intention behind selecting this indicator.

Definition

The indicator shows the price-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) per inhabitant in Germany on the basis of 2020 (in EUR 1,000).
Intention

There are many relationships between the development of gross domestic product (GDP) and the other indicators of the sustainability strategy. Social factors such as population structure, labour supply, the education system and social cohesion in society play an important role in the international competitiveness of the economy. GDP is considered an important indicator for the economic cycle and growth of an economy.
Target

Steady and appropriate economic growth by 2030
Type of target

Directional target
Assessment

Gross domestic product per capita should be increased.
• According to the target formulation, indicator 8.4 is assessed as thunderstorm for 2024, as the indicator value declined both between 2023 and 2024 and on average over the period 2019 to 2024.
• Data status at assessment: 25/02/2025.

Weathersymbol: Thuder strom

8.4 Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita

Content and development of the indicator

The indicator represents the inflation-adjusted Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. In 2024, it amounted to 42,583 euros per capita, which was 0.5% below the previous year's value. Between 1991 and 2024, the inflation-adjusted GDP per capita increased by a total of 40.0%.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in the inflation-adjusted GDP per capita of 4.2%. An even sharper drop occurred only in 2009, as a result of the global financial and economic crisis, with a decrease of 5.2%. Due to the lack of a uniform definition of adequate and sustained economic growth, only the average annual change over the last five years can be used as a reference. This was 0.3% and thus indicates a long-term negative trend of the indicator.

At the level of the Länder, the picture in 2024 was as follows: Sachsen-Anhalt recorded the lowest real GDP per capita at 28,895 euros, while Hamburg recorded the highest at 66,860 euros.

Background on the calculation

GDP measures the total economic output produced within a country during a reporting period. It includes both market-traded and government-provided goods and services. Residents are defined as all persons who have their permanent place of residence in Germany.

The calculation is based on the European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA), which mandates the concepts and methods of the national accounts (VGR). The national accounts constitute an integrated accounting framework representing economic activity over a specific period. The results are consistently determined within a closed accounting system and presented in tabular form. GDP is the central indicator of the national accounts.

The population figures used for calculating the indicator are the average population numbers, extrapolated and updated from the 2011 census by the Federal Statistical Office.

Limitations of GDP

GDP primarily functions as a production and income indicator. For a comprehensive measure of welfare, supplementary indicators are necessary, such as those from the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), which represent interactions between the economy and the environment.

As a single figure, GDP naturally does not provide information about the distribution of income and wealth among different population groups. Changes in stock variables – with the exception of the capital stock, which is accounted for through investments and depreciation – are not captured in GDP.

Key economic variables such as the stocks and quality of human capital (for example education, health), social capital (for example security, integration), and natural capital (for example resources, ecosystems) are also excluded from GDP. Therefore, it is not possible to assess whether GDP growth has contributed to capital maintenance in a comprehensive sense. Accordingly, no direct conclusions about the sustainability of economic growth can be drawn from GDP.