Germany saw its deepest economic contraction in more than a decade last year as millions of companies and workers were hit by the coronavirus pandemic.Output shrank 5% amid recurring lockdowns and restrictions, according to a preliminary estimate by the statistics office.
The government ran a budget deficit of 4.8% of gross domestic product, the biggest since 1995.Germany is the first advanced economy to publish full-year figures, and it’s likely to fare better than its major European peers.
Economists estimate France and Italy both posted declines of about 9% and U.K. gross domestic product may have shrunk more than 10%.The pain is extending into 2021 after a new surge in infections forced governments to extend lockdowns.