Productivity
Gross domestic product per employed person, current prices, 2025
Each person in work in the eastern states produced €83,977 of economic output in 2025, against €99,150 in the West: 85% of the western level, up from 35% in 1991. Brandenburg (€91,088) is the most productive eastern state and now ahead of Saarland (€83,621), the western state at the bottom; Hamburg leads with €122,895.
Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·16 states · 2025
Former West
€99,150
excl. Berlin
Former East
€83,977
excl. Berlin
Berlin
€99,504
Germany
€97,210
The East stands at 85% of the West's level (2025).
By state
- Hamburg€122,895
- Hessen€105,597
- Bayern€104,670
- Baden-Württemberg€104,021
- Berlin€99,504
- Bremen€96,392
- Niedersachsen€94,187
- Nordrhein-Westfalen€92,426
- Brandenburg€91,088
- Rheinland-Pfalz€90,041
- Schleswig-Holstein€88,757
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern€84,710
- Saarland€83,621
- Sachsen-Anhalt€83,099
- Sachsen€81,957
- Thüringen€80,321
2025
Then and now
Drag across the map to compare 1991 with 2025. Both maps share one colour key.
Former West
€46,552
excl. Berlin
Former East
€16,070
excl. Berlin
Berlin
€40,081
Germany
€40,944
The East stands at 35% of the West's level (1991).
Notes & caveats
- GDP per employed person (domestic concept: people counted where they work), as published by the VGRdL. East and West exclude Berlin, as published.
- Employed persons include part-time workers and the self-employed, so differences in part-time rates affect the figure. Output per hour worked is in VGRdL table 3.2.
- Current prices, not adjusted for inflation or regional price levels; 1991 and 2025 are therefore comparable only as ratios.
- Employment and output are counted at the place of work, so commuting does not distort this measure as it does GDP per inhabitant.
Show the table
| State | Side | 2025 | 1991 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saarland | west | €83,621 | €44,548 |
| Berlin | berlin | €99,504 | €40,081 |
| Brandenburg | east | €91,088 | €16,673 |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | east | €84,710 | €17,272 |
| Sachsen | east | €81,957 | €16,372 |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | east | €83,099 | €16,179 |
| Thüringen | east | €80,321 | €13,999 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | west | €88,757 | €41,970 |
| Hamburg | west | €122,895 | €59,757 |
| Niedersachsen | west | €94,187 | €43,994 |
| Bremen | west | €96,392 | €47,736 |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | west | €92,426 | €47,267 |
| Hessen | west | €105,597 | €50,833 |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | west | €90,041 | €45,499 |
| Baden-Württemberg | west | €104,021 | €47,027 |
| Bayern | west | €104,670 | €43,564 |