Revolution in medium-sized companies: 246 new companies in the top ranking!

Revolution in medium-sized companies: 246 new companies in the top ranking!

The German economy is currently undergoing dynamic change, which is made clear by the results of the new SME ranking. The aim of the ranking, which the German Economy (DDW) is working on together with Statista and Markt und Mittelstand, is to present and illuminate the top representatives of German medium-sized companies in a multimedia format. This initiative is supported by newly released data, which shows that 246 companies are new to the ranking compared to the previous version from April. This reflects a remarkable record level of change within the top 10,000 companies.

The ranking is based essentially on sales development, which plays a crucial role for the leading medium-sized companies. In 2024, the companies in the top 10,000 recorded an average sales increase of 3.4%. This growth follows impressive sales growth of 5.2% in 2023 and even 14.9% in 2022. However, there is a trend towards greater differentiation among companies, as 61% increased their sales in 2022, while 39% suffered losses. These ratios have changed slightly with 67% winners and 33% losers in 2023, after 88% of companies emerged as winners in 2022.

Industries in transition

Growth is not evenly distributed across all sectors. While trading companies recorded an increase of 11.6% and service providers of 10.5%, industry remained lower at 6.1%. The winning industries since 2021 are particularly noteworthy:

• Recycling: +25,5%
• Industriedienstleistungen: +24,2%
• Autohandel: +18,6%
• Gebäudeservice: +16,8%
• IT-Dienstleistungen: +16,6%
• Fleischwaren: +16,3%
• Pharmaindustrie: +16,2%
• Bau / Infrastruktur: +15,8%
• Gebäudetechnik: +14,2%
• Versandhandel: +13,3%

In contrast, there are also loser sectors that experienced significant declines, including basic chemicals with -11.3% and kitchen manufacturers with -7.5%. The textile industry and technical wholesale trade are also facing declines, indicating structural challenges in these sectors.

Medium-sized businesses as the backbone of the German economy

Medium-sized businesses are the heart of the German economy. Loud GermanyCareerCoach Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) provide almost 60% of jobs in Germany and employ 82% of trainees. Their importance extends far beyond job creation to low youth unemployment and economic stability. In fact, SMEs make up 99.6% of all German companies and generate 35.3% of the country's total turnover.

Digitalization is a priority for the German government and the need to support SMEs in this regard is obvious. Medium-sized businesses include not only small companies, but also start-ups, craft businesses, the self-employed and global players. The diversity of medium-sized companies is also symbolized by the “hidden champions”: companies that are market leaders in their niches, the term being coined by Herman Simon.

In summary, the current SME ranking shows that German SMEs are not only able to adapt to changing market conditions, but also make significant progress. The challenges remain, but medium-sized businesses remain a stable factor that embodies quality “Made in Germany”.

For detailed information, the happiness ranking data is available in DDW reader service available as an Excel list.