Kiel Institute for the World Economy significantly downgraded its growth expectations for German economy, projecting a mere 0.1% increase in 2024, a sharp downward revision from its previous forecast of 0.9%. Slight improvement is anticipated in 2025, with growth expected to accelerate to 1.2%. On the inflation front, decline to 2.3% is projected for this year, down from 5.9% in 2023, with further reduction anticipated to 1.7% in 2025. Unemployment rate is expected to marginally decrease from 5.8% in 2024 to 5.6% in 2025.
Moritz Schularick, President of the Kiel Institute, pointed to a “whole range of factors” currently dampening sentiment and economic performance in Germany. These include global economic slowdown impacting exports, ECB’s restrictive monetary policy expected to extend into the next year, and German government’s austerity measures, which Schularick believes are being implemented at an inopportune time, fostering additional pessimism.
Stefan Kooths, Head of Economic Research at the Kiel Institute, added that despite gradual recovery expected over the year, the overall economic dynamism in Germany remains subdued. He underscored the emergence of signs indicating that structural issues are mainly to blame for the economic slowdown, with private investment falling short, partly due to the significant uncertainty provoked by current economic policies.
