German consumers’ economic optimism continues to dwindle. For the second time in a row, the economic indicator has fallen significantly. It currently stands at minus 7.4 points. At 2.7 points, economic sentiment has slipped to its lowest level in six months. In February, it stood at 1.2 points.
This means that consumers’ hopes for a recovery of the German economy before the end of this year are likely to have fallen further. Rising unemployment, the somewhat bumpy start of the new federal government, and the uncertain customs policy of the US are not currently creating a mood of optimism among consumers.
The following table shows the values of the individual indicators in August 2025 compared to the previous month and previous year:
1Consumer Climate can be interpreted as a leading indicator of consumer behavior in Germany. Analyses have shown that sentiment is an early indicator for the actual development of private consumption. The Consumer Cli-mate is calculated from the August values for income expectations, willingness to buy and willingness to save – as a leading indicator for the development of consumption in September 2025.
The following diagram shows the development of the Consumer Climate indicator over the last few years:
Planned publication dates in 2025 (CET):
Thursday, September 25, 2025, 8 a.m.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 8 a.m.
Thursday, November 27, 2025, 8 a.m.
Friday, December 19, 2025, 8 a.m.