René Aust· ESN

Overestimated

Revenue in the chemical industry fell by over 15% within a two-year period

Omissions

• The claim does not specify which two-year period is being referenced
• The VCI data shows much smaller annual declines of 2-4% per year
• Chemicals alone (excluding pharmaceuticals) declined 3.8% in 2024, which is still far below the claimed 15%
• The source of the 15% figure is not identified in the claim

Sources

• PrimaryVCI (German Chemical Industry Association) - Quarterly Report 4/2025For 2025, chemical and pharmaceutical industries achieved sales of €220 billion – a decline of 1.4% (chemicals alone -3.8%)
• PrimaryVCI - Half-year results 2025Overall drop of -0.5% in industry sales in 1st half of 2025
• SecondaryICIS - Little improvement expected for German chems sector in 2025Projected sales of €221 billion represent a 2% annual decline in 2024
• SecondaryReuters - Germany's VCI expects chemicals industry to stagnate in 2025Sales decreased by 2% to 221 billion euros in 2024, sales in Germany were down by 4%