Germany’s main economic hubs are the large metropolitan regions such as the Ruhr. The Munich and Stuttgart metropolitan areas are known for high tech and automotive manufacturing. The Rhine-Neckar region is a centre of the chemicals and IT industry, while Frankfurt am Main is the financial centre. Nuremberg is a leading centre of industry and the service industries, while Cologne and HamburgHamburgIn the city and state of Hamburg it is the port that is the power-house of the economy, though with Airbus, Otto Versand and Beiersdorf also located here, this is not immediately apparent. The tanker terminals, mean that almost all the major oil-refining companies are represented in the port. For…Read more › are known for their ports, aviation and media industries. High performance high-tech centres have flourished in former East Germany, particularly the “lighthouse regions” of Dresden, Jena, Leipzig, Leuna and BerlinBerlinOnce a year, during the Berlinale film festival, the world of the silver screen focuses its attention on Berlin. And the city’s inhabitants are used to global interest. After all, the people of Berlin have lived in a capital city since 1458. However, there is also a shady side to the city’s history…Read more ›-BrandenburgBrandenburgBrandenburg surrounds the capital city of Berlin and benefits from the latter’s “gin and martini belt”. However, with its numerous lakes and forests it also has several trump cards of its own. With the Hohenzollern castles, and in particular Sanssouci Castle, which is included in the UNESCO World…Read more ›.Car makers headed the list of the largest German businesses measured by turnover in 2021. Volkswagen was in first place, while Mercedes-Benz Group and BMW Group held places 3 and 5 respectively.
The service industries also have a significant effect on Germany as an industrial location. Some 80% of businesses work in this sector, where they generate almost 70% of Germany’s GDP. They also provide three-quarters of all jobs, employing around 30 million people.
