GERMANY - ECONOMY

GDP structure: 68,4% services, 30,4% industry, 1,2% agriculture.

Employment structure: 63,8% of German employees work in services, 33,4% work in industry and 2,8% work in agriculture.

The biggest problem for Germany is the economic and social difference between the western and eastern Germany. The differences between the west German states of the former Federal Republic of Germany and the east German states of the former German Democratic Republic, are substantial and difficult to manage. For instance, the per capita GDP (gross domestic product) of the western region is high, while the per capita GDP of the eastern region is extremely low. The highest GDP is in the area of Oberbayern in the west, and the lowest GDP is in the Dessau region of eastern Germany.

Similar problem stem from the difference in socio-economic measures such as rate of unemployment. In the western part of Germany the unemployment rate is about 10% , while in the eastern part of Germany it is about 19% of the workforce. The regions with highest unemployment are Berlin 18,9%, Leipzig 19,3%, Dessau 22,9% and Halle 23,4%. The lowest unemployment is the region of Oberbayern 4,9% in the federal republic of Bavaria.

These differences cause social frictions between inhabitants of the western and the eastern parts of Germany and cause problems for the German Government.