Germany: Sectors and Industries

Background:

The German economy can be divided into three sectors: service, agriculture and industry and contruction. The service sector contributed close to 70% to total GDP in 2008. Industry and construction added 29.1% to German GDP while agriculture only made up 0.9%. The majority of German products are in engineering. In particular, Germany is leading in the automobile, the machinery and the chemical goods sectors. For instance, Germany is the fourth largest car producer in the world leading in terms of sales, production and innovation. With regards to the chemical sector, Germany makes up more than 10% of the global chemical market. Small and medium-seized firms, the Mittelstand, which often focus on niche products in the manufacturing sector, make up the backbone of the German economy. Roughly 70% of all German workers are employed by SMEs. Germany's economy heavily depends on exports as a motor for growth.  Only in 2008 did China take Germany place as worldchampion in merchandise exports. Still, Germany's exports came up to 995 billion euros in 2008. Exports contribute roughly 50% to German GDP.