Germans save less in 2025 but rate of 18.9% stays far above EU average

Savings dip slightly but stay high

The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said on 27 October 2026 that German households set aside 18.9% of their disposable income in 2025. That is lower than the 19.6% recorded in 2024, so the share slipped over the year. The level still sits far above the European Union average of 14.3%. The first half of 2026 also came in at 18.9%, which suggests the rate has held steady into this year. Over the past ten years, households in Germany saved 19.1% of their income on average, and the 2025 figure sits close to that long-run benchmark.

Only Switzerland saves more in Europe

Switzerland is the only European country that saved a larger share of its income, at 27.4%. Germany therefore ranks second on the continent for this measure. Other 2025 figures put France at 17.8%, the Netherlands at 17.4% and Austria at 15.7%. At the lower end of the European Union ranking, households in Italy saved 10.8%, a level close to the 10.7% set aside by households in the United States. Private retirement provision carries a much higher weight in Switzerland than in Germany, according to the same statistics. The chart below sets the countries side by side.

Switzerland27.4%

Germany18.9%

France17.8%

Netherlands17.4%

Austria15.7%

EU average14.3%

Italy10.8%

United States10.7%

Switzerland

27.4 %

Germany

18.9 %

France

17.8 %

Netherlands

17.4 %

Austria

15.7 %

EU average

14.3 %

Italy

10.8 %

United States

10.7 %

Data from the article text

A pandemic peak and the years since

The gross savings rate reached its highest point in 2020, at 22.9%. Many households had more money than usual during the coronavirus pandemic, because holidays were cancelled and leisure facilities were temporarily closed. Since then the rate has eased, from 19.6% in 2024 to 18.9% in 2025. The decline has been gradual across these years, and the first half of 2026 matched the 18.9% level. The line chart traces the German figures for those years.

2020

22.9 %

2024

19.6 %

2025

18.9 %

H1 2026

18.9 %

Data from the article text

What the gross rate counts

Destatis uses the gross rate for international comparisons because it is the only measure for which comparable data is available. The calculation includes money that households put aside from their disposable income, for example in savings accounts or on the stock market. It also counts newly acquired claims under company pension schemes. Depreciation is not deducted, particularly on property, so the gradual loss of value of a home through wear and ageing is not subtracted. The gross rate therefore reads higher than a figure that deducts that loss would. By contrast, the net savings rate usually fluctuates between 10% and 11% of disposable income.