Germany’s chemical industry is still navigating a sharp cost pressure and shifting demand, and the latest numbers make the tension hard to ignore. In 2025, the pace of change shows up in how production, imports, and investment are moving in different directions at the same time. Let’s look at the key statistics behind that imbalance and what it means for the sector’s next steps.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, total chemical sales in Germany reached 225.6 billion euros
- Germany's chemical industry employed 524,000 people in 2023
- In 2022, Germany's chemical industry produced 52.3 million tons of basic chemicals including olefins and aromatics
- Germany's chemical industry R&D spending was 12.1 billion euros in 2023
- Chemical exports from Germany reached 106.4 billion euros in 2023
German chemicals industries show strong resilience as production and exports continue to grow despite challenges.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic Performance21 stats
01
In 2023, total chemical sales in Germany reached 225.6 billion euros
02
BASF Group generated 87.3 billion euros in sales from chemicals segment in 2023
03
The chemical industry's EBITDA margin in Germany was 12.4% in 2022
04
Bayer's Crop Science division sales from agrochemicals in Germany hit 5.2 billion euros in 2022
05
Evonik's revenue from specialty chemicals grew 8.7% to 15.4 billion euros in 2023
06
German chemical industry investment in fixed assets was 8.1 billion euros in 2022
07
Profit before tax for VCI member companies averaged 9.3% return on sales in 2023
08
Covestro's sales revenue from polyurethanes segment was 11.2 billion euros in Germany operations 2022
09
The industry's total assets in chemical manufacturing reached 420 billion euros as of 2021 end
10
LANXESS reported 9.1 billion euros in sales with 18% from German sites in 2023
11
The chemical industry's sales per employee averaged 430,000 euros in 2023
12
Profit margins in basic chemicals dropped to 7.8% in 2023 from 15% in 2021
13
Specialty chemicals sales share was 38% of total at 85 billion euros in 2022
14
Investments in digitalization by chemical firms totaled 2.3 billion euros in 2023
15
Return on equity for top chemical companies averaged 11.2% in 2022
16
Number of chemical companies in Germany was 2,800 with sales >20m euros in 2023
17
Cost of sales for chemical industry rose 22% to 180 billion euros in 2023
18
Market capitalization of top 10 chemical firms: 250 billion euros end 2023
19
Value added by chemicals: 90 billion euros or 2.1% GDP in 2022
20
Dividend payouts by chemical majors: 8.5 billion euros in 2023
21
Debt-to-equity ratio average 0.45 in chemical sector 2022
Interpretation
Economic Performance Interpretation
Germany's chemical industry is a heavyweight champion leaning on its high-margin specialty chemicals arm to stay upright, while its basic chemicals leg buckles under rising costs, proving that even in a powerhouse, not all bonds are equally strong.
02 · Category
Employment and Labor19 stats
01
Germany's chemical industry employed 524,000 people in 2023
02
BASF had 110,000 employees worldwide but 39,000 in Germany in 2023
03
Average salary in chemical industry was 72,500 euros gross annually in 2022
04
Women comprised 28% of the chemical workforce in Germany as of 2023
05
Apprenticeships in chemicals numbered 28,500 in 2022
06
Evonik employed 33,000 staff with 12,000 in German locations in 2023
07
Unemployment rate in chemical sector was 2.1% below national average in 2023
08
R&D personnel in chemicals made up 15% of total employees in 2022
09
Covestro's German sites had 17,500 employees focusing on high-skill roles in 2023
10
LANXESS workforce in Germany totaled 9,200 with 25% engineers in 2023
11
Hourly labor costs in chemicals were 45.2 euros in 2022
12
65,000 new jobs created in chemicals over last decade to 2023
13
STEM graduates hired by industry: 12,000 annually in 2022
14
Part-time workers in chemicals: 18% of workforce in 2023
15
Training rate: 12.5% apprentices to total employees in 2022
16
Share of foreign workers: 22% in chemical industry 2023
17
Age average of employees: 44.3 years in 2022
18
Overtime hours per employee: 120 annually in chemicals 2023
19
Sick days average: 11.2 per employee lower than national 15.6 in 2022
Interpretation
Employment and Labor Interpretation
So, despite a reputation for being staffed by well-paid, slightly older alchemists, Germany's chemical industry is actually a highly competitive, innovation-driven nursery of talent, balancing high salaries and low unemployment with a thirst for apprentices, STEM graduates, and foreign experts, all while somehow being collectively healthier and working less overtime than the national average.
03 · Category
Production Volumes and Capacities20 stats
01
In 2022, Germany's chemical industry produced 52.3 million tons of basic chemicals including olefins and aromatics
02
BASF's Ludwigshafen site had a production capacity of 10 million tons per year for petrochemicals in 2023
03
German pharmaceutical chemicals output reached 28.1 billion euros in value terms in 2021
04
Evonik's silica production capacity in Germany totaled 1.2 million tons annually as of 2022
05
In Q4 2023, the chemical production index in Germany stood at 102.5 (2015=100)
06
Germany's polymer production volume was 14.7 million tons in 2022
07
Covestro's MDI production capacity in Dormagen was 1.05 million tons per year in 2023
08
Specialty chemicals production in North Rhine-Westphalia accounted for 45% of national total at 18.9 billion euros in 2022
09
Ammonia production in Germany totaled 2.8 million tons in 2021 from chemical plants
10
LANXESS's adipic acid capacity at Leverkusen site was 360,000 tons annually in 2023
11
In 2021, Germany's chemical production of inorganic chemicals was 9.2 million tons
12
Merck KGaA's production capacity for APIs in Darmstadt was 500 tons/year in 2023
13
The production index for pharmaceuticals grew 4.2% to 115.3 in 2023 (2015=100)
14
Wacker Chemie's silicone production in Burghausen reached 260,000 tons in 2022
15
Total fertilizer production in Germany was 6.5 million tons in 2022
16
In 2020, production of basic inorganic chemicals like chlorine was 2.1 million tons
17
Celanese's acetic acid plant in Germany produced 1.3 million tons in 2023
18
Paint and coatings production volume: 3.8 million tons in 2022
19
Detergent chemicals output: 2.4 million tons annually average 2021-2023
20
Adhesives and sealants production reached 1.9 million tons in 2022
Interpretation
Production Volumes and Capacities Interpretation
While Germany's chemical industry, from Ludwigshafen's mega-plants to Darmstadt's precise API labs, churns out millions of tons of everything from polymers to pharmaceuticals with stoic efficiency, its true product is the invisible backbone of modern life, proving that the nation's industrial might is still very much a reactive, high-value compound.
More related reading
04 · Category
Research Development and Sustainability20 stats
01
Germany's chemical industry R&D spending was 12.1 billion euros in 2023
02
BASF invested 2.2 billion euros in R&D for sustainable chemicals in 2023
03
6.8% of sales reinvested in R&D by chemical firms in 2022
04
Patents filed by German chemical industry totaled 4,500 in 2023
05
Evonik launched 15 new sustainable products from R&D in 2023
06
CO2 emissions from chemical production fell 18% to 45 million tons in 2022
07
42% of energy in chemicals from renewables targeted by 2030, current 12% in 2023
08
Bayer's R&D on bio-based agrochemicals cost 1.1 billion euros in 2023
09
Covestro's sustainable polyurethane innovations patented 120 times in 2022
10
LANXESS reduced water usage by 25% per ton produced via R&D in 2023
11
Number of R&D projects in green chemistry: 450 funded in 2023
12
Renewable raw materials use increased to 14% in chemical production 2022
13
Energy efficiency improved 22% since 1990 in chemical plants by 2023
14
1,200 startups in chemtech space active in Germany 2023
15
CO2 capture projects: 5 plants operational capturing 1.2 mt/year in 2023
16
Patent applications in biotech chemicals: 850 filed by Germans in 2023 EPO
17
Hydrogen use in chemicals: 1.1 million tons green H2 planned by 2030
18
Recycling rate for chemical plastics: 62% in Germany 2023
19
EU-funded R&D grants to German chemicals: 450 million euros 2022-2023
20
Biodiversity projects by industry: 120 initiatives in 2023
Interpretation
Research Development and Sustainability Interpretation
Despite pouring billions into research and development, Germany's chemical industry seems to have finally learned that true innovation isn't just filing patents, but is measured in falling emissions, saved water, and a growing pile of sustainable products that prove you can teach an old chemical giant new green tricks.
05 · Category
Trade22 stats
01
Chemical exports from Germany reached 106.4 billion euros in 2023
02
Imports of chemicals into Germany were 78.2 billion euros in 2022
03
58% of chemical production was exported in 2023
04
Top export destination for German chemicals was the USA with 12.5 billion euros in 2022
05
BASF exported 65% of its chemical products from German sites in 2023
06
Pharmaceutical chemicals exports hit 42.3 billion euros in 2023
07
Trade surplus in chemicals was 28.2 billion euros in 2022
08
China imported 9.8 billion euros worth of German specialty chemicals in 2023
09
Evonik's export ratio from Germany was 72% of sales in 2022
10
Polymer exports declined 5.2% to 22.1 billion euros in 2023
11
Covestro exported 85% of polyurethanes production to EU markets in 2023
12
LANXESS chemical exports to Asia grew 11% to 3.4 billion euros in 2022
13
Exports to EU countries accounted for 52% of total chemical exports in 2023 at 55.3 billion euros
14
Trade balance with USA: +8.7 billion euros surplus in chemicals 2022
15
Imports from China rose 15% to 12.4 billion euros in 2023
16
Organic chemicals exports: 68 billion euros in 2022
17
75% of plastics exports went to EU in 2023
18
Exports of inorganic chemicals: 15.6 billion euros in 2023
19
Import dependency on rare earth chemicals: 95% from China in 2022
20
Trade with Netherlands: 18 billion euros bilateral chemicals 2023
21
France imported 10.2 billion euros German chemicals in 2022
22
Growth in exports to India: 14% to 2.1 billion euros 2023
Interpretation
Trade Interpretation
Germany's chemical industry floats on a sea of lucrative export euros, yet treads water with one foot firmly stuck in a vat of Chinese rare earth dependency.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Germany Chemicals Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/germany-chemicals-industry-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Germany Chemicals Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/germany-chemicals-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Germany Chemicals Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/germany-chemicals-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level