Current figures from the Federal Statistical Office show that foreign business is becoming increasingly important for the overall economic development of the Free State, and the share of foreign sales in Thuringia's industry is steadily rising.
Even though recent press reports on economic development have predominantly shaped media perception in a negative way, we would like to highlight four positive analyses and developments in the following.
Record export quota strengthens Thuringia's economy
In 2025, Thuringian companies exported goods worth 18.2 billion euros. The Free State thus continues to operate at a stable level in international business, although imports have recently increased more strongly than exports. The export ratio of Thuringian companies with more than 50 employees in the manufacturing sector reached a record level of 38.0 percent last year, and a further increase for 2026 is already emerging: the State Statistical Office already reports an increase to over 39 percent for the first half of 2026.
Note: Figures for companies with fewer than 50 employees are published by the statistical offices only with a time delay; however, their development usually runs in parallel.
Foreign orders increase by double digits
The Thuringian State Office for Statistics reports a significant increase in price-adjusted foreign order intake for Thuringian industrial companies: In the first half of 2026, the value of foreign order intake rose by 10.9 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. In June, an increase of 25.1 percent compared to the same month of the previous year was even recorded. The increase in foreign order intake was able to compensate for the decline in domestic order intake in the first half of 2026. Incidentally, foreign order intake in the full year 2025 had still declined by just under 3 percent.
Future technologies drive export business
The export structure of Thuringia's industry is also to be assessed positively. According to the Federal Statistical Office, the most important Thuringian export groups include:
- Vehicle parts and motor vehicle components: 1.84 billion euros
- Machinery: 891 million euros
- Pharmaceutical products: 889 million euros
- Automobiles: 886 million euros
- Electrical and energy technology: 868 million euros
- Measurement and control technology: 789 million euros
- Medical technology: 656 million euros
- Optical and photographic equipment: 538 million euros
Above all, medical technology, optics, and photonics are currently among the fastest-growing technology fields worldwide, from which increasing value creation is to be expected in the future. Thuringia benefits in these areas from its close interlinking of research, universities, and industry.
Diversification: Close and reliable sales markets are gaining in importance
A positive trend is also the gradual diversification of Thuringia's export markets. This is symbolized by the fact that the three most important foreign markets for Thuringia last year - the USA, Poland, and China - represented the three major economic regions of the world.
If one assesses the "cluster risk" in Thuringia's export business, it can be noted that the cumulative share of the TOP-3 export markets reached its peak in 2024. At that time, these markets accounted for 19 percent of Thuringia's export business; since then, their export share has been declining.
While exports to the USA have recently been declining in particular, the European states were able to regain market shares and now again account for a good two-thirds of the export volume. Particularly strong export increases in the double-digit percentage range were achieved here in the first quarter of 2026 to Spain, the Netherlands, and France. But distant export markets such as Egypt, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, or India were also able to significantly increase their shares last year. This development shows that Thuringian companies are increasingly expanding into reliable markets.
The broad international presence increases the resilience of the Thuringian economy to geopolitical tensions, trade conflicts, and regional economic downturns. New sales markets can increasingly offset economic risks in individual regions.
Our Thuringia International team is happy to support you with your international activities. You can find an overview of our events here.
