German Construction Orders Fall 9.2 Percent in July as Real Turnover Rises 4.6 Percent
New orders in German main construction fell 9.2 percent in July from June in real, seasonally and calendar-adjusted terms, the Federal Statistical Office Destatis said on 25 September. Building construction orders fell 8.4 percent and civil engineering 10.0 percent. Turnover and jobs were higher on the year: real turnover rose 4.6 percent, and the number of persons employed rose 1.5 percent to about 545,000.
Monthly drop, 3-month rise
The 3-month comparison points the other way. Orders from May to July were 2.7 percent higher than in the previous 3 months, driven by civil engineering, up 7.6 percent, while building construction fell 2.7 percent. Against July 2025, real calendar-adjusted orders were 1.9 percent lower: building construction fell 1.5 percent and civil engineering 2.2 percent. In nominal, unadjusted terms, orders were 2.7 percent higher than a year earlier.
| Orders, July 2026 | On June | On July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Main construction | -9.2% | -1.9% |
| Building construction | -8.4% | -1.5% |
| Civil engineering | -10.0% | -2.2% |
Real terms. The monthly change is seasonally and calendar adjusted; the annual change is calendar adjusted.
Implied prices account for about half of the turnover gain
Nominal turnover rose 9.4 percent to 12.1 billion euros, compared with a 4.6 percent increase in real turnover. On our calculation, the ratio of the nominal to the real change implies a price component of about 4.6 percent, roughly half of the nominal increase. It is derived from the turnover figures, not a published price index. Real turnover also grew faster than the workforce, which on our calculation lifted real turnover per person employed by about 3 percent. In the month, turnover came to about 22,000 euros per person employed, on our calculation.
| Turnover and jobs | July 2026 | On July 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal turnover | €12.1bn | +9.4% |
| Real turnover | Not published | +4.6% |
| Persons employed | About 545,000 | +1.5% |
Businesses of enterprises with 20 or more persons employed. Turnover changes are unadjusted.
Why it matters: Orders are the work German builders have lined up, and July’s 9.2 percent monthly fall was spread across both building and civil engineering. The 3-month figures temper it: civil engineering orders were 7.6 percent above the previous 3 months while building construction was 2.7 percent below, so on our reading infrastructure rather than buildings is carrying the order book, while real turnover shows the sector still busier than a year ago.
Outlook: The August orders figures will show whether July was a one-month setback or the start of a weaker patch for building construction, which is down on both the 3-month and the annual comparison.
Sources: Destatis.
