Germany's digital economy in sixth place

Germany came sixth in the international 10-country comparison of leading digital economies with 53 out of a possible 100 index points, dropping one place in the Digital Location Index compared to the previous year.

The digital economy - i.e. the ICT sector and the internet economy - is paving the way for the digital transformation. According to the report, the German ICT sector accounts for 4.6% of industrial value added, ahead of the traditional German mechanical engineering sector (4.4%) and just behind vehicle manufacturing (5.3%).

The gross value added of the ICT sector amounted to 93 billion euros in 2014 and has once again increased compared to the previous year. With over 92,000 companies and more than one million employees, the ICT sector is an important branch of the German economy.

Investments amounting to 15.8 billion euros (2014) make a significant contribution to the long-term growth of the economy as a whole. In 2014, the German internet industry sold internet-based goods and services worth just over 100 billion euros.

With a per capita turnover of EUR 1,266 in the internet industry, Germany ranks fifth in an international comparison. South Korea achieves the highest per capita turnover (EUR 2,221), followed by the UK.