German Economic Outlook: 1.1% Growth in 2026

The German economy is forecast to grow 1.1% this year, ending six years of stagnation, as changes in government fiscal policy increase domestic demand, according to Goldman Sachs Research. Manufacturing, which has been a drag on German growth, shows signs that it has stabilized even as the sector still faces significant headwinds.

“About half of this year’s growth should come from expansionary fiscal policy that we expect to boost domestic demand significantly,” Goldman Sachs Research economist Niklas Garnadt writes in the team’s report. The drag on growth from US tariffs should recede, but the team expects Chinese competition will continue to weigh on exports.

The German economy is estimated to have grown just 0.3% last year and has mostly stagnated since 2018. Growth at 1.1% this year would be meaningfully above Goldman Sachs’ 0.5% estimate of Germany’s potential growth, or the rate at which the economy can expand sustainably, and it’s slightly higher than the current consensus forecast of 1% (all forecasts as of January 9).

Germany’s fiscal policy is boosting the economy

Policy steps taken last year set up the more expansionary government spending that is expected to help the economy this year. These include the amendment of the debt brake rule last March to allow for higher defense spending and infrastructure investment.

Germany’s fiscal deficit is expected to widen to 3.7% this year and 3.9% in 2027, according to the report. “For Germany, these would be the highest deficits outside of a recession in decades,” Garnadt writes.

Concern that the government might falter in the speed or execution of its plans to boost spending has receded. Compared with the initial announcements last year, the fiscal expansion is now more focused on subsidies, social spending, and tax reductions, as opposed to public investment. Rising defense spending—which Goldman Sachs Research expects to reach 3.3% of GDP by 2029—should support growth throughout the period the team’s outlook covers.

“Public spending had already picked up over the course of 2025, and we expect it to accelerate further this year,” Garnadt writes. This means fiscal policy turns expansionary after four years of fiscal drag. The outlook sees a fiscal boost of 0.5 percentage point in both 2026 and 2027. 

Fiscal policy also drives the outlook for German assets. Goldman Sachs rates strategists expect yields on 10-year German bunds to increase to 3.25% by the end of 2026 (from 2.8% on January 15) as the deficit widens. Goldman Sachs Research’s equity strategists are positive on a range of stocks that should benefit from the fiscal rollout, including equities exposed to domestic consumption and defense companies.

What is the outlook for German manufacturing?

The underperformance of the German economy has been driven by a decline in manufacturing in recent years. The sector’s economic value added peaked in 2017 and has declined 7% since then, while overall industrial production and sales have fallen by almost 15% from their peak. More recently, though, manufacturing appears to have stabilized.

“Recent manufacturing orders indicate a pick-up in demand, particularly from domestic customers, and industrial production has increased notably in recent months,” Garnadt writes. “Domestic demand should increase further on the back of stronger consumption growth, higher investment, and the boost to defense spending.”

Still, German manufacturing faces challenges, and the country’s exports have grown significantly less than foreign demand, resulting in loss of market share. Chinese manufacturing has displaced German exports, and the team expects the impact of this competition to continue to restrain exports in coming years.

The increase in German GDP growth that the researchers are forecasting is mainly cyclical, and Germany still faces hurdles to sustainable, longer-term expansion. Labor supply as the German population ages is also a drag on potential growth, which the researchers estimate is the lowest among large EU economies.

“A sustainable pick-up in growth would require reforms that improve competitiveness and boost labor supply, productivity growth, and investment,” according to the report. There have been limited improvements in these areas, including bonus depreciation on equipment investment and corporate tax cuts starting in 2028. Other changes approved for planning and permitting procedures may make new investments happen faster, among other steps. “We do not, however, view these reforms as game-changers yet,” Garnadt writes. 

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