In the final quarter of 2021, economic output in Germany is likely to have declined slightly, the Bundesbank writes in its current Monthly Report. According to the Bank’s experts, this is primarily due to the resurgence of the pandemic. While gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 2.7% on the year in 2021 as a whole, this was not nearly enough to offset the sharp decline of the previous year, the Bank’s experts say. 

In 2023, the Bundesbank registered more counterfeit money in Germany than in the previous year. In total, there were around 56,600 counterfeit euro banknotes with a nominal value of €5.1 million. “The increase in counterfeit figures was driven by a handful of major cases of fraud, predominantly involving counterfeit €200 and €500 banknotes,” stated Bundesbank Executive Board member Burkhard Balz. Overall, the incidence of counterfeiting is still low and the risk to members of the public remains small, he said.

According to the current issue of the Bundesbank’s Monthly Report, consumer prices in Germany and worldwide are continuing to rise extraordinarily sharply. While Germany’s economy remains in the grip of the Omicron variant, very robust demand is likely to see GDP “rebound strongly in the second quarter, provided the pandemic subsides and the supply bottlenecks continue to ease,” write the Bank’s experts. 

The annual inflation rate in Germany was 4.1% in September, and the Bundesbank expects prices to continue rising for the time being. “Overall, the inflation rate is likely to rise further at first, before gradually declining in the coming year,” the Bundesbank’s economists write in the current issue of the Monthly Report, explaining that statistical effects are one contributing factor.