The German economy grew faster than expected at the end of 2025, official data showed Friday, suggesting that a recovery is gathering pace in Europe's struggling industrial powerhouse. But the number of people unemployed jumped above three million in January for the first time in months, the labour agency said, underscoring the continued difficulties for the economy. Economic output expanded 0.3 percent in the final quarter of last year, according to the statistics agency Destatis. "The German economy ended 2025 in positive territory after a turbulent year, particularly for foreign trade," said the agency, noting that higher government and consumer spending had boosted growth. On Friday the Federal Employment Agency reported nearly 3,085,000 people were unemployed this month, about 177,000 more than in December.

Source: The Local January 30, 2026 19:11 UTC