Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Supply, use and input-output tables (SUIOTs) are matrices that provide a detailed picture of how goods and services are supplied and used in an economy. By balancing data from various sources in a consistent framework, they allow compiling a single coherent estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) based on production, expenditure, and income.
SUIOTs comprise various types of tables:
Supply table: This table depicts how products (in rows) enter the economy, either through domestic production by industries or imports (in columns). The supply table also includes data on trade and transport margins as well as taxes less subsidies (in columns) to convert total supply from basic prices to purchasers' prices.
Use table: This table depicts how products (in rows) are used by the economy, either for intermediate consumption by industries, or for final uses (both in columns). Final uses are disaggregated into 1) final consumption expenditure by households, general government, and non-profit institutions serving households, 2) gross capital formation and 3) exports. The use table contains additional rows to show, for each industry, how gross value added is generated, distinguishing compensation of employees, other taxes less subsidies on production, consumption of fixed capital, and net operating surplus and mixed income. The use table can refer to all transactions, domestic transactions or imported products.
Input-output table: This table captures the supply and use of products in a single matrix, depicting either products or industries in both rows and columns. Similar to use tables, input-output tables can refer to all transactions, domestic transactions or imported products. Countries are free to compile their input-output tables in product-by-product or industry-by-industry format.
Additional tables: These tables present separately 1) trade and transport margins and 2) taxes less subsidies, by products (in rows) and industries as well as final uses (in columns).
The supply-use system is built upon two fundamental equations:
total supply = production + imports = intermediate consumption + final consumption + gross capital formation + exports = total use (This equation is satisfied for any given product category.)
value added = production – intermediate consumption = compensation of employees + gross operating surplus and mixed income + other taxes less subsidies on production (This equation is satisfied for any given economic activity.)
The German supply and use tables distinguish 85 product and 64 industry categories and the input-output tables distinguish 72 product-by-product categories.
SUIOTs comprise annual and 5-yearly data transmissions. The annual mandatory data transmissions include the supply table at basic prices, including transformation into purchasers' prices (T1500) and the use table in purchasers' prices (T1600), both in current and previous year’s prices. The 5-yearly mandatory data transmissions concern years ending with ‘0’ or ‘5’. The 5-yearly tables are to be transmitted in current prices and include the following tables:
use table at basic prices (T1610)
use table for domestic output at basic prices (T1611)
use table for imports at basic prices (T1612)
table of trade and transport margins (T1620)
table of taxes less subsidies on products (T1630)
symmetric input-output table at basic prices (T1700)
symmetric input-output table for domestic production at basic prices (T1800)
symmetric input-output table for imports at basic prices (T1900).
Germany voluntarily transmits the 5-yearly input-output tables at current prices (without processing production) to Eurostat annually. At national level, Germany publishes the input-output tables with processing production annually.
3.2. Classification system
SUIOTs follow the concepts and definitions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). Products are classified according to the statistical classification of products by activity (CPA 2.1). Industries are classified according to the statistical classification of economic activities (NACE Revision 2).
3.3. Coverage - sector
SUIOTs cover the total economy, that is, all goods and services that are: produced by industries (non-financial and financial corporations); used as intermediates for production by non-financial and financial corporations, for final purposes by general government, households, and non-profit institutions serving households, for gross capital formation; traded with the rest of the world through exports, imports, direct purchases abroad by residents and purchases on the domestic territory by non-residents.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
German SUIOTs are in full alignment with ESA 2010 concepts and definitions, as implemented through Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 and amended by Regulation (EU) 2023/734. Comprehensive explanations on concepts, data sources, compilation methods, and SUIOT applications are available in the Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables (2008 edition).
3.5. Statistical unit
Institutional units are used to capture the economic activity within the domestic territory.
3.6. Statistical population
National accounts combine data from many source statistics. The concept of statistical population is not applicable in the context of SUIOTs.
3.7. Reference area
The reference area for SUIOTs is the total economy of Germany.
3.8. Coverage - Time
SUIOTs provide annual data on economic activities in a given calendar year.
In Germany:
Tables in current prices are available from 1995 to year N-3 (with N being the current year).
Tables in previous year’s prices tend to be available from 2015 to year N-3.
Please note: Due to different revision vintages, not all SUIOTs can be interpreted in time series perspective (see section 17.1 and 17.2).
3.9. Base period
Not applicable for current prices. For previous year’s prices, the base period is the reporting year t-1 (with t being the current year).
Million euro.
Calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The ESA 2010 transmission programme is covered in Annex B of the Council Regulation (EU) No 549/2013, amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/734 of 15 March 2023.
Two auxiliary regulations establish the statistical classification of products and activities that are used by SUIOTs. Regulation (EU) No 1209/2014 establishes the statistical classification of products by activity (CPA 2.1). Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/137 establishes the statistical classification of economic activities (NACE Rev. 2.1).
At the national level, national accounts and SUIOTs are covered by the Federal Statistics Act (Bundesstatistikgesetz - BStatG).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
No institutional mandate.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society. The European Statistics Code of Practice provides further conditions that have to be respected by statistical offices in regard to statistical confidentiality (Principle 5).
Pursuant to Article 16, para. 1 of the Federal Statistics Law (BStatG), the bodies of German official statistics must keep individual data confidential. Exceptions are individual data which cannot serve to identify a respondent or are aggregated together with the data of other respondents (tables). National accounts data are secondary statistics whose data basis comprises only data that were already published in other statistics and are consequently (no longer) subject to confidentiality.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
In a statistical sense, ‘confidential data’ means data which allow statistical units to be identified, either directly or indirectly, thereby disclosing individual information. To determine whether a statistical unit is identifiable, account is taken of all relevant means that might reasonably be used by a third party to identify the statistical unit. Although SUIOTs data are usually highly aggregated.
8.1. Release calendar
Generally, Germany releases preliminary supply and use tables at current prices 27 months after the reference year in March and preliminary input-output tables 30 months after the reference year in June. Updated SUIOTs for t+36 months are transmitted to Eurostat in December and are nationally released in January. Usually, final results for SUIOTs at current prices (t+48 months) are released in the following year.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice (Principle 6 on impartiality and objectivity, Principle 13 on timeliness and punctuality and Principle 15 on accessibility and clarity), SUIOTs data that meet the quality standards, including relevant metadata, should be made available to users. Users should be informed when the data become available and how they can be accessed.
All statistics that are published at Statistisches Bundesamt are available for all users both nationally and internationally.
See section 8.1 - preliminary SUIOTs at current prices (t+27/t+30 month), updated SUIOTs (t+36 month) and final SUIOTs at current prices (t+48 month).
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Germany does not issue a news release for the publication of new SUIOTs.
The results for the input-output tables can be found in the GENESIS online database. The electronic versions of the "Statistischer Bericht - Input-Output-Rechnung" are available at the national accounts page.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The national accounts and SUIOTs methodology is documented in the ESA 2010.
Information and documentation on the compilation of supply, use and input-output tables is available:
Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables (2008 edition)
United Nations Handbook on Supply and Use Tables and Input-Output Tables with Extensions and Applications from 2018
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Destatis publishes a quality report of national accounts for Germany annually.
11.1. Quality assurance
To ensure the quality of SUIOTs, a comprehensive set of procedures are applied:
raw data validation (including reconciliations with basic statistics, national accounts and Large Cases Units (LCU))
time series checks / rate of change
input and output structural checks
(cross-table) consistency, plausibility and completeness checks
congruence with national accounts main aggregates
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Before the results are transmitted to Eurostat and published nationally, a comprehensive set of procedures is applied to evaluate the data quality (see section 11.1).
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
SUIOTs are indispensable tools for researchers, policymakers, national and international institutions and statisticians who seek to understand economic structures. Among other topics, the German SUIOTs are used for:
assisted GDP compilation and balancing
structural analysis and input-output analysis
extended and thematic accounts (e.g. tourism, sport, health)
environmental accounts
globalisation indicators
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
At the national level, current topics on national accounts and SUIOTs are presented in an official biannual exchange ("VGR-Fachausschuss") with all institutional users.
12.3. Completeness
Germany transmits the complete set of mandatory tables according to the ESA 2010 transmission programme. In addition, Germany voluntarily transmits the input-output tables at current prices annually.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Generally, in Germany, sampling and non-sampling errors of the source statistics integrated into national accounts and the SUIOTs may also be contained in the results. Also, using models, applying estimation methods and extrapolating time series may lead to inaccuracies. However, this is necessary to meet user requirements regarding timeliness and completeness.
To ensure the quality of SUIOTs a comprehensive set of procedures is applied (see section 11.1).
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Germany releases preliminary supply and use tables (t+27 months after the reference year) and preliminary input-output tables (t+30 months). Furthermore, after t+36 months updated SUIOTs are released and transmitted to Eurostat. Usually, final results for SUIOTs are released in t+48 months.
14.2. Punctuality
Germany follows the legally binding European delivery deadlines, hence data is delivered on time.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Geographical comparability of SUIOTs is ensured by the application of common definitions and concepts according to ESA 2010.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparability of SUIOTs over time is generally limited, because it is not obligatory to revise the tables after benchmark revisions or updates/revisions of main aggregates. Compiling SUIOTs is a very extensive and resource-demanding process and only a limited number of annual SUIOT tables can be compiled within a year. Hence it is not possible, to revise enough SUIOTs for a long time series.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
After each update of the national account main aggregates, Germany revises its SUIOTs to guarantee full coherence. However, in rare cases the SUIOTs are not revised for the period t+48 months after the reference year.
15.4. Coherence - internal
SUIOTs are internally coherent through the standardised data validation process and balancing.
SUIOTs are an accounting system in which existing results from primary and secondary surveys, administrative data sources and national accounts are processed. No additional burden is placed on respondents.
17.1. Data revision - policy
According to the transmission programme, Germany transmits mandatory SUIOTs for t+36 months, which are fully aligned with national accounts main aggregates. Usually, Germany revises SUIOTs for t+48 months for full consistency with national accounts main aggregates.
After national accounts benchmark revision, SUIOTs can be revised for individual years, but it depends on capacities.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Revisions should be seen as a process to progressively improve the quality of national accounts and SUIOTs as e.g. better sources and/or methods and/or new classifications become available. The availability of metadata on revisions is a key element for understanding national accounts data and revisions between subsequent releases.
Germany distinguishes two types of national accounts data revisions:
Ongoing revisions: Every year Germany usually revises the national accounts data for the last four calendar years. The revised data are used for compiling SUIOTs. Hence, Germany has preliminary, updated and final SUIOTs based on the state of the underlying data (see section 14.1).
Benchmark revisions are more extensive and usually affect the entire time series. The latest benchmark revision in Germany and most other EU member states took place in 2024. SUIOTs with revision status 2024 are available for Germany for the years 2021 and onwards (for t+27 months after the reference year).
18.1. Source data
The compilation of SUIOTs requires a variety of source data from different statistical domains, including administrative data from government statistics, tax data, trade statistics, balance of payments information, and various surveys of businesses and households.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
For the compilation of German SUIOTs, a comprehensive data set is used. Most of these data are annual (e.g. national accounts data, structural business statistics), otherwise, the most recent data are used (e.g. survey of materials and commodities received).
18.3. Data collection
There are no data collected specifically for SUIOTs, but data are used from other statistics or external data sources such as: national accounts, business statistics, foreign trade statistics or external data sources like economic accounts for agriculture. A comprehensive overview for national accounts is available in the German GNI inventory.
18.4. Data validation
See section 11.1.
18.5. Data compilation
Germany compiles the supply table in current and in previous year`s prices, the use table in current and in previous year`s prices and input-output tables in current prices annually. The compilation is only on the national level - no regional information (e.g. “Bundesländer”) is provided. In Germany the computation is performed step by step. At first the supply table, then the use table and finally the input-output table are compiled.
Supply table in current prices: Starting point for the supply table is the output by industry from the national accounts as well as product and/or detailed turnover information from the business statistics. Both data are combined to create a provisional supply table with 2.600 products and 64 industries. This table is only intended as an aid. The validation process is performed at an aggregated level by 85 products and 64 industries.
Use table in current prices: To compile the use table, data from the supply table, from the national accounts demand side and from the business statistics are required. In a first step, an intermediate use table with 2.600 products is created. This table is only intended as an aid, too. For the balancing and validation process, the supply table is aggregated to 85 products and 64 industries.
Input-output tables: To compile the input-output table, the supply and use tables are combined. Both tables include information about primary and secondary production (output and intermediate consumption). Germany compiles the input-output tables by product for total, import and domestic production annually. Germany also compiles input-output tables with and without processing production, i.e. the production of goods that are manufactured during the production process and are directly used as inputs in a subsequent process.
Supply table in previous year’s prices: Based on the supply table in current prices, the supply table in previous year`s prices is compiled by the application of price information (mainly price statistics) at the 2.600 product and 64 industry level. As in the table at current prices, the resulting table only serves as an intermediate step. The validation process is performed at an aggregated level by 85 products and 64 industries.
Use table in previous year’s prices: Based on the use table in current prices, the use table in previous year`s prices is compiled with data from the supply table, from national accounts demand side as well as price information (mainly from price statistics). An intermediate use table with 2.600 products is created. As with the table at current prices this table only serves as an intermediate step. For the balancing and validation process, the supply table is aggregated to 85 products and 64 industries.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
Not available.
Supply, use and input-output tables (SUIOTs) are matrices that provide a detailed picture of how goods and services are supplied and used in an economy. By balancing data from various sources in a consistent framework, they allow compiling a single coherent estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) based on production, expenditure, and income.
SUIOTs comprise various types of tables:
Supply table: This table depicts how products (in rows) enter the economy, either through domestic production by industries or imports (in columns). The supply table also includes data on trade and transport margins as well as taxes less subsidies (in columns) to convert total supply from basic prices to purchasers' prices.
Use table: This table depicts how products (in rows) are used by the economy, either for intermediate consumption by industries, or for final uses (both in columns). Final uses are disaggregated into 1) final consumption expenditure by households, general government, and non-profit institutions serving households, 2) gross capital formation and 3) exports. The use table contains additional rows to show, for each industry, how gross value added is generated, distinguishing compensation of employees, other taxes less subsidies on production, consumption of fixed capital, and net operating surplus and mixed income. The use table can refer to all transactions, domestic transactions or imported products.
Input-output table: This table captures the supply and use of products in a single matrix, depicting either products or industries in both rows and columns. Similar to use tables, input-output tables can refer to all transactions, domestic transactions or imported products. Countries are free to compile their input-output tables in product-by-product or industry-by-industry format.
Additional tables: These tables present separately 1) trade and transport margins and 2) taxes less subsidies, by products (in rows) and industries as well as final uses (in columns).
The supply-use system is built upon two fundamental equations:
total supply = production + imports = intermediate consumption + final consumption + gross capital formation + exports = total use (This equation is satisfied for any given product category.)
value added = production – intermediate consumption = compensation of employees + gross operating surplus and mixed income + other taxes less subsidies on production (This equation is satisfied for any given economic activity.)
The German supply and use tables distinguish 85 product and 64 industry categories and the input-output tables distinguish 72 product-by-product categories.
SUIOTs comprise annual and 5-yearly data transmissions. The annual mandatory data transmissions include the supply table at basic prices, including transformation into purchasers' prices (T1500) and the use table in purchasers' prices (T1600), both in current and previous year’s prices. The 5-yearly mandatory data transmissions concern years ending with ‘0’ or ‘5’. The 5-yearly tables are to be transmitted in current prices and include the following tables:
use table at basic prices (T1610)
use table for domestic output at basic prices (T1611)
use table for imports at basic prices (T1612)
table of trade and transport margins (T1620)
table of taxes less subsidies on products (T1630)
symmetric input-output table at basic prices (T1700)
symmetric input-output table for domestic production at basic prices (T1800)
symmetric input-output table for imports at basic prices (T1900).
Germany voluntarily transmits the 5-yearly input-output tables at current prices (without processing production) to Eurostat annually. At national level, Germany publishes the input-output tables with processing production annually.
19 September 2025
German SUIOTs are in full alignment with ESA 2010 concepts and definitions, as implemented through Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 and amended by Regulation (EU) 2023/734. Comprehensive explanations on concepts, data sources, compilation methods, and SUIOT applications are available in the Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables (2008 edition).
Institutional units are used to capture the economic activity within the domestic territory.
National accounts combine data from many source statistics. The concept of statistical population is not applicable in the context of SUIOTs.
The reference area for SUIOTs is the total economy of Germany.
Calendar year.
Generally, in Germany, sampling and non-sampling errors of the source statistics integrated into national accounts and the SUIOTs may also be contained in the results. Also, using models, applying estimation methods and extrapolating time series may lead to inaccuracies. However, this is necessary to meet user requirements regarding timeliness and completeness.
To ensure the quality of SUIOTs a comprehensive set of procedures is applied (see section 11.1).
Million euro.
Germany compiles the supply table in current and in previous year`s prices, the use table in current and in previous year`s prices and input-output tables in current prices annually. The compilation is only on the national level - no regional information (e.g. “Bundesländer”) is provided. In Germany the computation is performed step by step. At first the supply table, then the use table and finally the input-output table are compiled.
Supply table in current prices: Starting point for the supply table is the output by industry from the national accounts as well as product and/or detailed turnover information from the business statistics. Both data are combined to create a provisional supply table with 2.600 products and 64 industries. This table is only intended as an aid. The validation process is performed at an aggregated level by 85 products and 64 industries.
Use table in current prices: To compile the use table, data from the supply table, from the national accounts demand side and from the business statistics are required. In a first step, an intermediate use table with 2.600 products is created. This table is only intended as an aid, too. For the balancing and validation process, the supply table is aggregated to 85 products and 64 industries.
Input-output tables: To compile the input-output table, the supply and use tables are combined. Both tables include information about primary and secondary production (output and intermediate consumption). Germany compiles the input-output tables by product for total, import and domestic production annually. Germany also compiles input-output tables with and without processing production, i.e. the production of goods that are manufactured during the production process and are directly used as inputs in a subsequent process.
Supply table in previous year’s prices: Based on the supply table in current prices, the supply table in previous year`s prices is compiled by the application of price information (mainly price statistics) at the 2.600 product and 64 industry level. As in the table at current prices, the resulting table only serves as an intermediate step. The validation process is performed at an aggregated level by 85 products and 64 industries.
Use table in previous year’s prices: Based on the use table in current prices, the use table in previous year`s prices is compiled with data from the supply table, from national accounts demand side as well as price information (mainly from price statistics). An intermediate use table with 2.600 products is created. As with the table at current prices this table only serves as an intermediate step. For the balancing and validation process, the supply table is aggregated to 85 products and 64 industries.
The compilation of SUIOTs requires a variety of source data from different statistical domains, including administrative data from government statistics, tax data, trade statistics, balance of payments information, and various surveys of businesses and households.
See section 8.1 - preliminary SUIOTs at current prices (t+27/t+30 month), updated SUIOTs (t+36 month) and final SUIOTs at current prices (t+48 month).
Germany releases preliminary supply and use tables (t+27 months after the reference year) and preliminary input-output tables (t+30 months). Furthermore, after t+36 months updated SUIOTs are released and transmitted to Eurostat. Usually, final results for SUIOTs are released in t+48 months.
Geographical comparability of SUIOTs is ensured by the application of common definitions and concepts according to ESA 2010.
Comparability of SUIOTs over time is generally limited, because it is not obligatory to revise the tables after benchmark revisions or updates/revisions of main aggregates. Compiling SUIOTs is a very extensive and resource-demanding process and only a limited number of annual SUIOT tables can be compiled within a year. Hence it is not possible, to revise enough SUIOTs for a long time series.
