Our figure of the month

In today's information age we are surrounded by an almost infinite amount of data. Each month, the GWS-WiSo-team selects a particularly interesting economic and/or social topic or question from the multitude of available information, which is highlighted as the "number of the month". The current number as well as the earlier numbers of the month can be found here.


Our figure of the month 05/2017: The acquisition of property has become increasingly expensive over the last six years

The purchase price for apartments in Germany has dynamically risen over the past six years and has further decoupled from wage developments. This means that a person with an average income has to spend more than his three-year annual…

Our figure of the month 04/2017: High number of private owners of photovoltaic installations affect total number of the energy supply firms considerably

The number of newly founded companies in the energy section without any employees (who pay social insurance contributions (essc)) amounts to approx. 95%.

The total number of companies within the energy supply section more than doubled…

Our figure of the month 02/2017: Mountains and valleys in housing construction

Share of newly erected dwellings in detached houses falls to 39%

In times of low interest rates, the construction or purchase of housing appears financially very attractive. Real estate investment projects offer a high return on…

Our figure of the month 01/2017: Outlook 2017

2016 is expected to end with a real growth rate of GDP of 1.9%, which is nearly the upper bound of the GWS-outlook of January, 2016. This growth rate was mainly caused by very dynamic domestic consumption expenditures – induced by both,…

Our figure of the month for New Year's Eve 2016: Germans like it loud

The Germans spend more money on fireworks than on many other consumer goods. Since 2005 the New Year's sales of fireworks have grown by almost 40 %. Even the economic and financial crisis has not overshadowed the noisy amusement: In 2010,…

Our figure of the month for Christmas 2016: More x-mas tree for less money

The Germans love their Christmas trees. It is the symbol of Christmas guaranteeing conviviality. It is therefore, that a growing number of households decide to purchase a Christmas tree. The number of sold trees started with 24 million in…

Our figure of the month 12/2016: Holiday in Germany is hot again

Tourism in Bavaria and in regions along the North and Baltic Sea take the biggest advantage.

Berlin remains most popular area for guests from abroad with a 40% share of foreign guests.The number of Germans who prefer to spend their…

Our figure of the month 11/2016: World urbanization and reurbanization in Germany

The world’s population is increasingly urban with more people living in urban areas, challenging at the same time the cities’ infrastructures, notably in emerging and developing countries. That is why the UN-Conference on Housing and…

Our figure of the month 10/2016: „Building bridges“ – the construction sector after 26 years of German Unity

„Building bridges“ – this is the motive of this year’s 26th celebration of German Unity on October 3rd, 2016 in Dresden – a reason for looking at the construction sector in fast motion.

The first figure shows gross value added per…

Our figure of the month 09/2016: Is Germany an immigration country?

The question whether Germany is an immigration country or not has been in the scope of discussion for many years now. The commonly used term of net migration to illustrate this issue fails at showing what is going on exactly. A…

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