For a while, Germany experienced the longest period of uninterrupted growth. The German economy thrived on high-quality manufacturing and export-oriented policies, establishing itself as a manufacturing powerhouse. Notably, exports accounted for 47% of the country's GDP, a significantly higher proportion compared to large economies like the US, China, India, and the UK. In 2015, Germany's trade surplus amounted to approximately $255 billion, equating to nearly 7.5 percent of its GDP.
However, the German economy has since slowed down and now lags behind the US and most of Europe, with its growth rate continually decreasing. While it is easy to blame Germany's economic problems solely on the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine , the truth is that the country already possessed significant weaknesses before the crisis. The invasion of Ukraine has exposed Germany's dependence on cheap Russian energy, exacerbating its longstanding economic challenges.
