German analysis and laboratory industry cautiously optimistic about the current year
Turnover at 11.2 billion euros, export ratio around 54%
The German industry for analytical, bioanalytical and laboratory technology (ABL) remains robust at the world's leading trade fair analytica, which will take place in Munich from March 24 to 27, 2026, even though the market environment has recently been challenging. According to the German industry association SPECTARIS, the 2025 financial year saw a slight decline.
The approximately 330 German manufacturers in the sector recently generated sales of around 11.2 billion euros (-0.6%). While domestic turnover fell to around 5.1 billion euros (-1.6%), international business remained stable at around 6.1 billion euros (+0.2%). German exports to EU countries increased by more than 5% in the first three quarters of 2025. However, exports to the industry's two most important target countries - the USA and China - fell by 10% and 6% respectively compared to the previous year.
Internationalization has contributed greatly to the success of companies in recent years: more than half of production (export ratio around 54%) is sold abroad. The industry employs around 52,500 people in total.
"Despite a challenging market environment, our industry remains robust. Analytical, bio and laboratory technology is an indispensable basis for innovations in life sciences, environmental analysis and many other future-oriented fields. analytica makes this innovative strength of the industry impressively visible," says Mathis Kuchejda, Chairman of Analytical, Biotechnology and Laboratory Technology at SPECTARIS.
For 2026, the majority of companies expect sales to rise again by around three to four percent. At the same time, the forecast remains subject to uncertainty. In particular, the potential economic impact of the current conflict in the Middle East - including the Iran conflict - is difficult to assess at present.
In the long term, the industry's prospects remain positive and the global market for the industry continues to grow. Experts expect growth of around five percent per year in the coming years. In addition to automation and robotics, the drivers of this development include increasing investment in life sciences, pharmaceutical research, environmental analysis and modern laboratory infrastructure.
With the newly published "Trend Report Analytical, Biotechnology and Laboratory Technology 2026/2027", SPECTARIS provides an overview of the most important markets, developments and potential in the industry and a comprehensive portrait of German analytical, biotechnology and laboratory technology.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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