German growth slightly better than expected in the first quarter this year

In the fourth quarter of 2025, the German economy grew by 0.2 percent, according to revised figures.

At the same time, Germany reported unexpectedly weak retail sales figures. Retail sales fell 2.0 percent in March after a 0.3 percent decline in February.

Analysts had expected an average decline of 0.2 percent in March.

Compared with March last year, retail sales increased by 0.9 percent.

At the same time, import prices in Germany rose 3.6 percent in March compared with the previous month, according to Destatis. This was in line with expectations.