Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Germany

Germany: Industry jobs as a share of total employment was 26.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
26.0%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
37th
of 186 countries
All-time high
38.4%
in 1991
All-time low
26.0%
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Germany, 1991–2025

0102030401991200820251991: 38.4 %1992: 38 %1993: 37.4 %1994: 36.5 %1995: 36 %1996: 35.3 %1997: 34.7 %1998: 34.4 %1999: 33.8 %2000: 33.5 %2001: 32.8 %2002: 32.4 %2003: 31.4 %2004: 31.3 %2005: 29.8 %2006: 29.9 %2007: 30.4 %2008: 29.3 %2009: 28.8 %2010: 28.8 %2011: 27.7 %2012: 28.2 %2013: 27.7 %2014: 28.1 %2015: 27.6 %2016: 27.3 %2017: 27.4 %2018: 27.3 %2019: 27.1 %2020: 27.2 %2021: 27.4 %2022: 26.8 %2023: 26.4 %2024: 26.3 %2025: 26 %

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for industry jobs as a share of total employment in Germany is 26.0%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, industry jobs as a share of total employment in Germany peaked at 38.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 26.0%, in 2025.

That places Germany 37th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 36.1% 33.8% 38.4% 9
2000s 31.0% 28.8% 33.5% 10
2010s 27.7% 27.1% 28.8% 10
2020s 26.7% 26.0% 27.4% 6

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 34 Sri Lanka 26.3% compare
  2. 35 Suriname 26.1% compare
  3. 36 Estonia 26.0% compare
  4. 38 Malaysia 26.0% compare
  5. 39 Lithuania 25.9% compare
  6. 40 Russia 25.8% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is industry jobs as a share of total employment in Germany?
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Germany was 26.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 38.4% in 1991.
What is the lowest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 26.0% in 2025.
How does Germany rank for industry jobs as a share of total employment?
Germany ranks 37th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is industry jobs as a share of total employment rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Industry jobs as a share of total employment
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Share of total employment working in the industry sector.