{
  "id": 10079647,
  "title": "Once the growth engine, Germany is now an economic laggard in the EU",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/once-the-growth-engine-germany-is-now-an-economic-laggard-in-the-eu-10079647",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-26T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Qatar Tribune Business",
    "slug": "qatar-tribune-business",
    "url": "https://www.qatar-tribune.com/article/256044/business/once-the-growth-engine-germany-is-now-an-economic-laggard-in-the-eu"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Once the economic leader of the Eurozone, Germany now trails behind its counterparts. Real output contracted in 2023, before stagnating in 2024 and growing by just 0.2% in 2025 as the Eurozone expanded more robustly. In 2026, Germany has returned to a modest positive growth trajectory, with GDP increasing 1.0% year-on-year in the second quarter. However, the German Economy Ministry has revised its 2026 growth forecast downward to 0.5%, citing the rise in energy prices due to the Iran war as a significant setback. The core of Germany's prolonged underperformance lies within its industrial sector, particularly the export-oriented Mittelstand, which has long been the backbone of German employment and exports. Germany's manufacturing value added peaked in 2017, and industrial production is now approximately 15% below its previous high, a decline spanning over a decade. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that manufacturing and construction contributed to the largest portion of Germany's growth gap relative to the Eurozone, with the shortfall stemming from sustained underperformance rather than temporary, cyclical factors. Since industry accounts for around a fifth of German output, this weakness reverberates throughout the entire economy, affecting investment and employment. Germany's underperformance can be attributed to three main factors: the industrial recession at its core, the competitiveness squeeze affecting the Mittelstand, and the energy cost headwinds in the short term.",
  "summary": "Once the powerhouse of the Euro area, Germany has become its laggard. Real output contracted in 2023, before stagnating in 2024 and growing only marginally at 0.2% in 2025, even as...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Peninsula Qatar Business",
        "title": "Once the Growth Engine, Germany Is Now an Economic Laggard in the EU: QNB",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/once-the-growth-engine-germany-is-now-an-economic-laggard-in-the-eu",
        "published": "2026-09-26T08:04:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}