These are the largest chemical companies in Germany
These are the largest chemical companies in Germany
BASF
What do chemical companies actually produce? And which are among the largest chemical companies in Germany? You will find the answers in this article.
Germany is the largest chemical nation in Europe. No wonder, as many of the continent's largest corporations are located here. In a global comparison, Germany ranks third in chemistry - behind China and the USA. Here, the chemical-pharmaceutical industry is the
third largest sector in Germany.
In 2024, the German pharmaceutical and chemical industry achieved a turnover of 222.672 billion euros, according to the VCI industry association . This is a decrease of another 1.7 percent, following record losses of 13.7 percent in 2023. VCI chief executive Wolfgang Große Entrup emphasises: “2024 was another year to forget for the industry. We want to leave this low point behind us, even though Trump's unpredictable tariff policy, rising energy prices again, and unresolved structural problems continue to cause uncertainty in companies.”
84 billion euros in revenue were generated domestically, 138 billion abroad. Pharmaceutical products accounted for around 26.6 percent of total sales.
According to VCI, these 20 companies contributed the lion's share to the total turnover:
The shares of the chemical-pharmaceutical turnover in 2024 are distributed among the following sectors:
- Basic chemicals: 98.336 billion euros
- Petrochemicals and derivatives: 53.68 billion euros
- Fine and specialty chemicals: 52.189 billion euros
- Other chemical products: 32.481 billion euros
- Polymers: 27.281 billion euros
- Inorganic basic chemicals: 15.531 billion euros
- Detergents and personal care products: 14.752 billion euros
- Paints, printing inks, adhesives: 12.136 billion euros
- Chemical fibres: 1.712 billion euros
- Pest control, plant protection, disinfectants: 1.015 billion euros
Which industries does the German chemical industry supply?
In Germany, about 27 percent of domestic production goes into direct consumption, while the majority of 68 percent, more than two-thirds, flows into industry and construction. If the share of pharmaceuticals is excluded, the share even rises to 85 percent.
The main customers of the industry are plastics processors (21 percent), followed by the construction industry (14 percent). The steel and metal industry accounts for 13 percent, ahead of the wood and furniture industry (11 percent) and vehicle manufacturing (8 percent).
However, these figures only consider direct sales. If indirect deliveries - that is, through plastics processors, the electrical industry, the textile industry, and mechanical engineering - are included, the German automotive industry is a customer for 15 to 20 percent of chemical products.
Energy guzzler chemical industry?
No question, the chemical industry is resource-intensive - it primarily uses and processes fossil raw materials. On the one hand, the most commonly used raw materials are naphtha and petroleum derivatives. On the other hand, 22 percent of the energy consumption of the manufacturing sector is attributed to chemistry.
However - this is also part of the truth - the industry's energy consumption has fallen by 17 percent since 1990. Currently, about six percent of CO2 emissions are attributed to the chemical sector - a decrease of 54 percent compared to 1990.
Corporations vs. SMEs in chemistry
What about the size structure of chemical companies? In fact, 92 percent of chemical companies are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 500 employees. Overall, however, the majority of employees work in companies with more than 500 employees, namely 64.3 percent. Also, 73.4 percent of the revenue is generated by the large companies in the industry.
In this context, the production of basic chemicals is primarily a domain of large companies. SMEs usually process the products into fine and specialty chemicals.
Many of the globally operating chemical corporations have their headquarters in Germany. Many of the international big players in the chemical industry have their headquarters in the USA or Switzerland. However, they mostly have a German subsidiary based in Germany. Among these, we have also compiled the largest German subsidiaries of foreign chemical giants for you - ranked by their revenue in 2024:
What does the situation look like in 2025?
Germany's pharmaceutical industry has drawn an overall positive balance for the first half of 2025. Production, producer prices, and revenue increased compared to the previous year. The turbulent start to the year - triggered by advance orders due to Trump's tariff threats - was followed by the expected significant setback in early summer.
The current mood in the pharmaceutical companies is accordingly gloomy. The assessment of the current business situation also slipped into the negative.
Production costs and therefore also producer prices rose more sharply than pharmacy prices. Moreover, further trouble is looming: the pressure on margins could even intensify further, as financial resources are becoming scarce for health insurance companies.
In particular, imports replaced domestic production for low-margin active ingredients - with negative consequences for the resilience of the healthcare system. Even in the by far most important export market, the USA, the industry is struggling with problems: US import tariffs are intended to force pharmaceutical production into the USA. At the same time, the Trump administration is putting pressure on companies to lower sales prices for American customers.
Nevertheless, German pharmaceutical companies are mostly confident that the business situation will improve again in the coming months.
