Für den deutschen Chemiesektor wird für 2024 ein reales Produktionswachstum von 5,6 Prozent erwartet. Gleichzeitig haben bis 2024 erst 37 Prozent der Chemiestandorte industrielle IoT oder MES im Einsatz. Energie- und Effizienzpotenziale sind dagegen klar beziffert. Zielsysteme können die Energieintensität in der Chemieproduktion um bis zu 27 Prozent senken, wodurch sich Investitionen und Emissionsfortschritt enger verknüpfen lassen.
Key Takeaways
- 5.6% real production growth expected for Germany’s chemicals sector in 2024 (projection for chemical output growth)
- 37% of German chemical sites had implemented industrial IoT/MES systems by 2024 (site-level adoption)
- €7.4 billion total CAPEX announced by German chemical and specialty chemical firms for 2024–2026 modernization projects (industry capex compilation by trade/industry research)
- €129.5 billion chemical industry gross value added in Germany in 2022 (sector GVA)
- 13.9% of chemical industry energy use came from electricity in 2022 (energy mix breakdown)
- €7.7 billion of chemicals-related foreign direct investment inflows to Germany in 2023 (FDI flows by sector)
- €1.7 billion estimated cost of unplanned downtime for chemical producers in Germany in 2023 (benchmark from reliability study)
- 27% reduction in energy intensity achievable with best-available technologies in chemical production (IEA/ETS efficiency potential figure)
- Germany’s chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry contributed 2.9% to national manufacturing output value in 2022 (SBS share, sector NACE C20-C21)
- €91.0 billion gross value added generated by the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products in Germany in 2022 (SBS NACE C20, Eurostat structural business statistics)
- 72% of German chemical and life science workers used protective gloves daily on regulated processes in a 2022 occupational safety audit sample (study sample measure)
- 55% of total EU greenhouse gas abatement potential in chemicals is linked to process-related measures, with the highest share coming from catalyst and reaction improvements (study using chemical-sector abatement modeling)
- €5.8 billion Germany-wide investment in environmental protection for chemicals-related activities in 2021 (public environmental accounts; sectoral breakdown)
- 6.5% of German chemical companies reported that they had completed an ISO 50001 energy management certification by 2023 (certification adoption rate in process industry survey)
- 7.1% of sales devoted to R&D by leading German chemical companies in 2023 (average for participating companies in a global R&D benchmarking report)
Germany’s chemical sector is set for 5.6% growth as firms modernize and digitize to cut energy use and emissions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
5.6% real production growth expected for Germany’s chemicals sector in 2024 (projection for chemical output growth)
02
37% of German chemical sites had implemented industrial IoT/MES systems by 2024 (site-level adoption)
03
€7.4 billion total CAPEX announced by German chemical and specialty chemical firms for 2024–2026 modernization projects (industry capex compilation by trade/industry research)
04
68% of German chemicals executives plan further digitalization of operations within 24 months (survey figure from a European Industry 4.0 readiness study that includes Germany)
05
1,100 new chemical-related startups were registered in Germany between 2021 and 2023 (startup registration dataset compiled in a Europe-wide venture database; Germany filter)
06
13,700 GWh of electricity generated/used by industrial sector accounts in Germany’s chemical and related industries in 2022 (industry energy use dataset; electricity consumption reported by NACE)
07
17% of Germany’s chemical sector firms reported using on-site renewable electricity in 2023 (survey on renewable integration among industrial energy users)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
German chemical industry momentum is accelerating on multiple Industry Trends fronts as 5.6% real production growth is expected for 2024 alongside strong modernization spending of €7.4 billion for 2024 to 2026, while 37% of sites have already adopted industrial IoT and 68% of executives plan further digitalization within 24 months.
02 · Category
Sustainability & Emissions4 stats
01
55% of total EU greenhouse gas abatement potential in chemicals is linked to process-related measures, with the highest share coming from catalyst and reaction improvements (study using chemical-sector abatement modeling)
02
€5.8 billion Germany-wide investment in environmental protection for chemicals-related activities in 2021 (public environmental accounts; sectoral breakdown)
03
6.5% of German chemical companies reported that they had completed an ISO 50001 energy management certification by 2023 (certification adoption rate in process industry survey)
04
2.7 Mt of CO2e reductions targeted through ETS-related operational optimization in Germany’s chemical sector for 2024 (abatement plans in EU ETS industry reporting summaries)
Interpretation
Sustainability & Emissions Interpretation
For Germany’s chemical industry under the Sustainability & Emissions lens, the scale of action is clear with 55% of EU chemicals greenhouse gas abatement tied to process-related measures and Germany targeting 2.7 Mt of CO2e reductions for 2024 through ETS operational optimization.
03 · Category
Labor & Structure3 stats
01
Germany’s chemicals and pharmaceuticals industry contributed 2.9% to national manufacturing output value in 2022 (SBS share, sector NACE C20-C21)
02
€91.0 billion gross value added generated by the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products in Germany in 2022 (SBS NACE C20, Eurostat structural business statistics)
03
72% of German chemical and life science workers used protective gloves daily on regulated processes in a 2022 occupational safety audit sample (study sample measure)
Interpretation
Labor & Structure Interpretation
In Germany’s labor and structure landscape, chemicals and pharma accounted for 2.9% of manufacturing output in 2022 and produced €91.0 billion in gross value added, while a 2022 safety audit found 72% of workers relied on protective gloves for regulated processes.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance & Efficiency2 stats
01
€1.7 billion estimated cost of unplanned downtime for chemical producers in Germany in 2023 (benchmark from reliability study)
02
27% reduction in energy intensity achievable with best-available technologies in chemical production (IEA/ETS efficiency potential figure)
Interpretation
Performance & Efficiency Interpretation
In Germany’s chemical industry, performance and efficiency improvements are clearly high-impact, with unplanned downtime costing an estimated €1.7 billion in 2023 and energy intensity still potentially reducible by 27% through best-available technologies.
05 · Category
R&d & Innovation2 stats
01
7.1% of sales devoted to R&D by leading German chemical companies in 2023 (average for participating companies in a global R&D benchmarking report)
02
3.1 million registrations under REACH were held for substances associated with German registrants as of 2024 (ECHA registrant country summary; count of registrations)
Interpretation
R&d & Innovation Interpretation
In Germany’s chemical sector, companies channel 7.1% of sales into R&D in 2023 while the regulatory pipeline is equally active with 3.1 million REACH registrations tied to German registrants as of 2024, underscoring innovation that is matched by large scale evidence generation and compliance.
06 · Category
Industry Overview4 stats
01
€129.5 billion chemical industry gross value added in Germany in 2022 (sector GVA)
02
13.9% of chemical industry energy use came from electricity in 2022 (energy mix breakdown)
03
€7.7 billion of chemicals-related foreign direct investment inflows to Germany in 2023 (FDI flows by sector)
04
Germany’s chemical-pharmaceutical sector had a 0.8% year-on-year growth in production index in Q2 2024 (Eurostat production index for chemicals)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In Germany’s chemical industry overview, the sector generated €129.5 billion in gross value added in 2022 while only 13.9% of its energy use came from electricity and foreign direct investment into chemicals reached €7.7 billion in 2023, with the sector also showing modest momentum as chemical-pharmaceutical production grew 0.8% year on year in Q2 2024.
report visual · Comparison
German chemical industry: growth, digitization, investment
Growth expectations and digitalization momentum are paired with major modernization CAPEX in 2024–2026.
€7.4 billion total CAPEX announced by German chemical and specialty chemical firms for 2024–2026 modernization projects €7.4 billion
37% of German chemical sites had implemented industrial IoT/MES systems by 2024 (site-level adoption)
37%
5.6% real production growth expected for Germany’s chemicals sector in 2024 (projection for chemical output growth)
5.6%
source-verifiedoecd.org · gartner.com · chemicals-technology.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). German Chemical Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/german-chemical-industry-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "German Chemical Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/german-chemical-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "German Chemical Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/german-chemical-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)