Europe's biggest economy slumped the most since 1970, with GDP declining 10% in the second quarter, the country's statistics authority said in a flash estimate released on Thursday.
Economists had predicted a 9% decline to account for the economic hammering caused by the pandemic, leading to record unemployment and unseen government stimulus responses.
Although the German economy is expected to gradually recover, latest GDP data shows the pace could be slow and painful.
For the months between April to June, the massive slump in Germany's gross domestic product was led by declines in exports, consumer spending, and investment, federal office Destatis said.
"This was the largest decline since the beginning of quarterly GDP calculations for Germany in 1970. It was much larger than during the financial market and economic crisis (-4.7% in first quarter of 2009)," the authority said.
Germany is the first European economy to report second-quarter GDP results.
On an annual basis, its economy contracted 11.7% despite reopening businesses that followed coronavirus-induced restrictions in the first quarter.
Last time the country faced a comparable decline was in 2009, when it contracted by 7.9% on an annual basis.
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The European Union has introduced an $860 billion recovery fund aimed at the reconstruction of the economic bloc.
A broader picture of the second quarter is scheduled to be released by Destatis on August 25. Current flash estimates aim to serve high demand from a bunch of politicians, businesses, and the society who wish to gauge the economic uncertainty.
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