The economic downturn in Germany hit the federal states differently in the first half of the year – with outliers upwards and downwards.
According to preliminary data from the “State National Accounts” working group, economic output shrank in nine federal states, stagnated in one, and the gross domestic product (GDP), adjusted for prices, rose in six states compared to the same period last year. Brandenburg recorded well above-average economic growth of 6.0 percent. In Rhineland-Palatinate, on the other hand, there was a significant decrease of 5.4 percent. Nationwide, GDP shrank by 0.3 percent.
According to statisticians, the strong growth in Brandenburg was primarily driven by the automotive industry. “The decisive driver of growth is the industry’s investments in electromobility,” said the Berlin-Brandenburg Association of Business Associations (UVB) on Friday. “It’s not just Tesla that needs to be mentioned here.” Many suppliers have settled in Brandenburg and formed “a value chain around this new industry”.
The State Statistical Office attributed the above-average decline in economic output in Rhineland-Palatinate of 5.4 percent to a considerable extent to individual sectors “that benefited from the development and production of a vaccine against the coronavirus in 2021.” The Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech had developed a vaccine against Covid-19 and thereby achieved billions in sales growth, which at the time had an impact on the economic performance of the entire state. As expected, sales at Biontech have now fallen again because less vaccine has been sold recently.
