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.
This metadata is associated with the following tables:
Capital stocks by industry and by detailed asset type
Capital stocks by sector and by detailed asset type
Capital formation by industry and by detailed asset type
Quarterly and annual gross fixed capital formation by main asset type
Stocks and flows are closely related. Stocks result from the accumulation of prior transactions and other flows, and they are changed by transactions and other flows in the accounting period (SNA 2008 §2.4). The data sets above can therefore be analysed together. The main data sources of estimation of capital formation are described in Section 5.10.2 of the German GNI inventory (published in 2026). The estimation methods used are described in Section 5.10.3 of the GNI inventory. Capital stocks are calculated using the perpetual inventory method (PIM), so it is based on the capital formation estimates. The detailed method is described in Section 4.12 of the GNI inventory.
3.2. Classification system
Data are compiled at the level of the total economy at industry and institutional sector level and by asset breakdowns. The classifications applied are described below.
Economic activity
ESA 2010 uses aggregation levels of the NACE Rev.2 classification to define industry breakdowns (NACE stands for Nomenclature générale des Activités économiques dans les Communautés Européennes). NACE Rev.2 is a classification of economic activities widely used in statistics and in other domains.
Even though we use the German classification of economic activities (WZ), the aggregation levels used in National Accounts correspond to the NACE Rev. 2 classification (see Section 9.1 of the GNI inventory for more details).
Asset types
Asset types for non-financial fixed assets are classified according to ESA 2010 (Table 7.1 and Chapter 23).
Institutional sector
Breakdowns by institutional sector include total economy (S.1), non-financial corporations (S.11), financial corporations (S.12), general government (S.13), households (S.14), and non-profit institutions serving households (S.15).
3.3. Coverage - sector
For capital stocks, gross capital formation, gross fixed capital formation, consumption of fixed capital and balance sheets, countries are required to transmit annual data. Balance sheets are broken down by asset group and by institutional sector; the other variables are broken down by asset group and NACE industry (various levels). Quarterly data for gross fixed capital formation is also transmitted.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
These data sets require the understanding of various technical concepts, e.g. asset, fixed assets, (produced and non-produced) non-financial assets, fixed capital, capital stock (gross and net), consumption of fixed capital, gross capital formation, and gross fixed capital formation.
3.5. Statistical unit
According to the ESA 2010, in national accounts two types of units and two corresponding ways of subdividing the economy are used: (a) institutional unit; (b) local kind-of-activity unit (local KAU). The first type is used for describing income, expenditure, and financial flows as well as balance sheets. The second type of units is used for the description of production processes, for input-output analysis and for regional analysis.
An institutional unit is an economic entity characterised by decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function. A resident unit is regarded as constituting an institutional unit in the economic territory where it has its centre of predominant economic interest if it has decision-making autonomy and either keeps a complete set of accounts or is able to compile a complete set of accounts.
A local KAU groups all the parts of an institutional unit in its capacity as producer which are located in a single site or in closely located sites, and which contribute to the performance of an activity at the class level (four digits) of the NACE Rev. 2.
An institutional unit comprises one or more local KAUs; a local KAU belongs to one and only one institutional unit.
3.6. Statistical population
The national accounts population of a country consists of all resident statistical units (institutional units or local KAUs, see section 3.5). A unit is a resident unit of a country when it has a centre of predominant economic interest on the economic territory of that country, that is, when it engages for an extended period (one year or more) in economic activities on this territory.
3.7. Reference area
The reference area for National Accounts is the total economy of a country. Results for Germany from 1991 onwards refer to the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany since 3 October 1990. The data for the former territory of the Federal Republic refer to the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany as until 3 October 1990; they include Berlin-West.
The total economy of a country can be broken down into regions. National Accounts results for these regions are compiled under the responsibility of the Federal States by the "Working Party on regional accounts" (Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnungen der Länder). Consistency with the results for the entire territory of the Federal Republic of Germany is always ensured. However, results are less detailed than at the federal level and not with a quarterly periodicity.
3.8. Coverage - Time
National accounts data are usually compiled for years and quarters.
In general, the ESA 2010 transmission programme requires data starting in 1995 (years) and 1995Q1 (quarters) but some series start later. If backwards data exist, they may have been compiled according to earlier versions of ESA and can present conceptual breaks with those compiled under ESA2010.
3.9. Base period
The concept of 'base period' is not applied in national accounts. Instead, for some national accounts variables the concepts of previous year prices and chain-linked volumes are applied, as stipulated in Commission Decision 98/715/EC. Expressing variables at the prices of the previous year allows the calculation of volume indices between the current time period and the previous year. After a reference period is chosen as a benchmark, volume indices can be chain-linked and then applied to variables at current prices of the benchmark year. This generates volume estimates for any period of observation.
Germany currently uses 2020 as reference year for the compilation of chain-linked volumes. The method to compile quarterly chain-linked volumes is the annual overlap method.
All flows and stocks are shown in euros. Flows and stocks shall be measured according to their exchange value, i.e. the value at which flows and stocks are in fact, or could be, exchanged for cash. Market prices are, thus, the ESA's reference for valuation.
In addition to measurement in current (market) prices, some national accounts variables are also expressed in previous year's prices and chain-linked volumes, see section 3.9. Furthermore, it is possible to derive growth rates and indices as well as various other measures '(e.g. percentages, per capita data, data expressed in purchasing power standards)'.
The usual reference period to be used for presenting national accounts data is the calendar year for annual data and the quarter for quarterly data.
Two basic kinds of information are recorded: flows and stocks. Flows refer to actions and effects of events that take place within a given period of time (year or quarter), while stocks refer to positions at a point of time (usually the beginning or end of a year or quarter).
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
National accounts are compiled in accordance with the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010) which was published in the Official Journal as Annex A of Regulation (EU) No 549/2013, amended by Council Regulation (EU) 2023/734 of 15 March 2023.
The European System of Accounts (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.
Some other legal acts with relevance for national accounts concern:
Commission Decision 98/715 of 30 November 1998 and Commission Decision 2002/990 of 17 December 2002 on measurement of price and volumes in national accounts.
Legal act on the excessive deficit procedure
Several separate acts, often regarding classifications such as: NACE Rev.2, CPA 2014, COFOG, COICOP, NUTS 2013.
On the Eurostat website, sections 'National accounts' and 'Government finance and EDP', more legal acts relevant for national accounts can be found.
At the national level, national accounts are covered by the Federal Statistics Act (Bundesstatistikgesetz - BStatG).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
National accounts data are key datasets used and published by many international organisations to improve data consistency and exploit synergies for data collection and validation. An initiative to improve data sharing for National Accounts was launched in 2016 by the Inter-Agency Group on Economic and Financial Statistics (comprising representatives of the Bank for International Settlements, the European Central Bank, Eurostat, the IMF, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations, and the World Bank) under the G20 Data Gap Initiative. At the national level, there exist several Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with other national authorities (ONAs) and institutions that ensure the data sharing for the purpose of compiling national accounts, e.g. with the German Central Bank.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), 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 secret. 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 shall be taken of all relevant means that might reasonably be used by a third party to identify the statistical unit. Although national accounts data are usually highly aggregated, there may be possible cases for detailed breakdowns of aggregates and/or small economies. In these cases measures should be taken in order not to disclose data of a separate statistical unit. Guidance on how to prevent disclosure can be found in the Handbook on Statistical Disclosure Control.
8.1. Release calendar
Good practice requires that new national accounts data and associated news releases are announced in a release calendar that is published well in advance of the respective releases.
All publication dates for the results of German national accounting are announced in the Federal Statistical Office's release calendar in autumn of a year for the whole of the following calendar year (Destatis website).
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), national accounts 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 the users both nationally and internationally at Destatis website.
The dissemination of data is aligned with the transmission requirements for each dataset which are defined in the ESA 2010 transmission programme:
Quarterly data is only required for gross fixed capital formation,
Annual data is required for gross fixed capital formation, capital stocks, consumption of fixed capital, and balance sheets.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Quarterly data for gross fixed capital formation is published 55 days after the end of the reference quarter. If required, the results of the previous quarters are revised by those dates, while the results of the four preceding years and the relevant quarters are reviewed in August of each year (so-called regular or current revisions). The exact dates are announced in the annual release calendar of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis website). For capital stocks, gross capital formation, gross fixed capital formation, consumption of fixed capital and balance sheets annual data is required to transmit in September (gross capital formation, gross fixed capital formation, consumption of fixed capital) and December (capital stocks, balance sheets).
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
In addition, the results of German national accounts are published in Fachserie 18: Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnungen (National accounts) which contains comprehensive tables:
Reihe (Series) 1.1 Inlandsproduktberechnung - Erste Jahresergebnisse (item number 2180110)
Reihe (Series) 1.2 Inlandsproduktberechnung - Vierteljahresergebnisse (item number 2180120)
Reihe (Series) 1.3 Inlandsproduktberechnung - Saisonbereinigte Vierteljahresergebnisse nach Census X13 (item number 2180130)
Reihe (Series) 1.4 Inlandsproduktberechnung - Detaillierte Jahresergebnisse (item number 2180140)
Capital stocks by sector and by detailed asset type are published in the publication Statistischer Bericht.
The most important results of the national accounts can be found in the GENESIS online database (online database)
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The general methodological framework for the compilation of national accounts in the EU is ESA 2010.
In addition, several handbooks have been developed to help compilers to produce national accounts data. Some of the most important methodological manuals are the Handbook on quarterly national accounts, Manual on regional accounts methods, Eurostat Manual of Supply, Use and Input-Output Tables, Manual on Government Deficit and Debt. Also, guidance manuals on specific topics are available, e.g. compilation guide on land estimation, compilation guide on inventories, Manual on measuring Research and Development in ESA 2010.
The manuals above specifically apply to EU national accounts statistics. However, world-wide equivalents are often also available: SNA 2008, Quarterly National Accounts Manual, Handbook on Input-Output Table Compilation and Analysis, Government Finance Statistics Manual.
Information on and detailed descriptions of the content and structure of the national accounting system are provided in many publications of the Federal Statistical Office:
The importance of national accounts requires that documentation should be available on the procedures applied for quality management and quality assessment. Examples of such documentation are national accounts quality reports, quality studies and reports on revision analysis.
In Germany, the system of national accounts reflects a complete macroeconomic circuit. The procedure of balancing the gross domestic product may be considered central to a comprehensive system of quality assurance to accompany the process of compiling national accounts. Such a quality assurance approach distinguishes between ex-ante checks (source statistics), ongoing national accounts checks (results), ex-post checks on national accounts (methods used), and external checks and consultations (e.g. Eurostat, European Court of Auditors, IMF). The findings of a specialized organizational unit (Large Cases Unit) also contribute to the quality assurance of the national accounts - as well as the basic statistics. This unit monitors large enterprise groups and analyzes their reports to the official statistics for coherence and conceptual accuracy. Discussions with user representatives (Deutsche Bundesbank, Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Federal Ministry of Finance) take place on every release date; seasonal and calendar adjustment of the quarterly results is based on partnership arrangements with the Deutsche Bundesbank.
The national accounting system is based on harmonised European rules that are laid down in a legally binding form in the European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010). In addition, they are explained in more detail in a large number of international methodology handbooks (e.g. for the compilation of quarterly national accounts or seasonal and calendar adjustment).
Ensuring exhaustiveness of gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national income (GNI) statistics has been a major goal of German national accounts and a main concern of the European Commission and the GNI Committee in the process of harmonising national accounts at the European level. To this end, several measures have been adopted: input-output accounts reconciliation, reconciliation with the business register, reconciliation with VAT statistics, separate exhaustiveness checks in individual areas of national accounts. Based on these exhaustiveness checks, additional amounts are calculated, if required, for the areas affected by undercoverage. These additional amounts are an integral part of national accounting; their sole purpose is to ensure exhaustiveness of GDP and GNI.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Germany provides the European Commission with a report on the quality of the transmitted data on national and regional accounts and publishes its own quality report once a year.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
National accounts data provide key information for economic policy monitoring and decision making, for forecasting, for administrative purposes, for informing the general public about economic developments (directly or indirectly via news agencies), and as input for economic research.
At national level, ministries of finance and economic affairs, the Bundesbank, economic research institutes, business associations and scientific and academic communities are the entities who most use national and regional accounts data.
In addition, international institutions such as the OECD, World Bank, IMF and in particular the European institutions (Eurostat, ECB, European Commission) are among the users.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
At the national level, there is an official biennial exchange with all institutional users. In addition, an exchange with major users takes place on a quarterly basis.
12.3. Completeness
The ESA 2010 transmission programme, consisting of 22 tables across all national accounts domains (see section10.3) defines the minimum national accounts data set that must be available in all Member States of the EU. The overall completeness rate of the German National Accounts data is at the highest level.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Generally, in Germany sampling and non-sampling errors of the source statistics integrated into national accounts may also be contained in the national accounting results. Also, applying estimation methods and extrapolating time series may lead to inaccuracies. However, this is necessary to meet the user requirements regarding timeliness of the national accounts data. For this reason, a certain degree of inaccuracy is the price to pay for having a high degree of timeliness of the national accounts data.
The quality of the national accounting calculations is continuously checked during the calculation process so that possible shortcomings or errors can be detected and eliminated. Major elements of that quality assurance procedure are the following:
Source statistics, where produced as part of official statistics and used by national accounts, are subjected to quality control in the relevant specialised departments and by the Large Cases Unit (LCU)
In national accounts, the source data provided are checked again for completeness and plausibility.
A major quality assurance element is the far-reaching comparison of the source statistics used in national accounting and of the very results of national accounts with complementary data from other sources.
The national accounting results are reconciled with the results of input-output accounts.
Setting up sector accounts always involves checking the system coherence. The production, use and distribution approaches and also the financial accounts based on institutional sectors must be co-ordinated to reflect a closed economic cycle. Any discrepancies will easily be detected in the balancing items of the sectors.
Further details can be found in the national quality report (section 4.1).
Also, due to their great importance for financial and economic policies and as they are widely used for administrative purposes in the European Union (e.g. payments to the EU budget, calculation of Maastricht criteria), national accounts are regularly subjected to international audits; for example by Eurostat, the European Court of Auditors and the International Monetary Fund (IWF Data-ROSC-Bericht).
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
National accounts data should become available to users as timely as possible, taking into account the frequency of the data (annual or quarterly), the character of the data (information on the structure of the economy or on business cycle) and an adequate balance between accuracy and timeliness.
The ESA 2010 transmission programme defines the required timeliness for all national accounts tables. Quarterly tables should become available between 2 and 3 months after the quarter-end. The annual tables have to be transmitted between 2 months (main aggregates) and 36 months (supply and use tables) after the end of the reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
The legally binding European requirements are met or exceeded, and announced publication dates are always adhered to.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The geographical comparability of national accounts in Member States of the EU is ensured by the application of common definitions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). Worldwide geographical comparison is also possible as most non-European countries apply the guidelines of the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA 2008), which is consistent with ESA 2010.
15.2. Comparability - over time
As the data for all reference periods are compiled according to the requirements of the ESA 2010, national accounts data are fully comparable over time. Also, in the case of fundamental changes to methods or classifications, revisions of long time series are performed, usually going far back into the past.
One of the characteristics of national accounts is the fact that, in the case of fundamental changes to methods or classifications, revisions of long time series are performed going far back into the past, so that an optimum range of data are offered to data users. Quarterly and annual data without breaks are provided for Germany as a whole from the first quarter of 1991. Regarding the former territory of the Federal Republic, time series without breaks are available for the period from 1970 to 1991 (data for 1991 being available both for Germany and for the former territory of the Federal Republic). However, they are also not comparable with the revised data for Germany in methodological terms as they were not adjusted to the new classifications in the context of the 2011 revision of national accounts and were not revised in the context of the major revisions in 2014, 2019 and 2024. In addition, (unrevised) annual data are available for the period from 1950 to 1969 and some selected results for the years from 1925 to 1938. However, those time series contain breaks caused by different territorial delimitations, concepts, definitions and price base years; they will not be revised any more.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Within the system of national accounts there is full consistency between the domains: annual and quarterly national accounts, government accounts, sector accounts, financial accounts, regional accounts, supply and use tables. However, in practice full consistency may not always be possible and temporary discrepancies might occur. They are usually the result of vintage differences.
Primary statistics like structural business statistics (SBS), short term statistics (STS) and labour force statistics (LFS) are widely used as input for national accounts. However, there is no full consistency between these statistical domains and national accounts. Main reasons are differences in concepts/definitions and in coverage. Balance of payments is also used as an important source for national accounts. The definitions and coverage of balance of payments, as defined in the BPM6 manual, are fully harmonised with those in ESA 2010. Therefore, balance of payments variables are in principle fully coherent with the corresponding national accounts variables.
Data published in Germany within the scope of national accounts often differs from data published within the scope of the relevant specific statistics regarding similar, or seemingly the same, variables. In most cases, this is due to conceptual differences and to the nature of an accounting system in which a multitude of different data sources are integrated to calculate results for one variable.
National accounts are also used as a basis for satellite systems such as environmental-economic accounting (UGR), which describes interactions between the economy and the environment, and for the socio-economic reporting system, which examines connections between economic and social developments.
15.4. Coherence - internal
See section 15.3 (Coherence - cross domain).
As national accounts are an accounting system in which existing results of primary and secondary surveys and from administrative data sources are processed, no additional burden is placed on respondents.
17.1. Data revision - policy
National accounts data are subject to continuous revisions as new input data become available. A distinction is made between routine revisions and benchmark revisions. The latter result from major changes in data sources, classifications or methodology. Benchmark revisions of national accounts take place approximately every five years (latest revisions in 2024, 2019, 2014, 2011, 2005 and 1999).
Reasons for benchmark revisions may be the following:
introducing new concepts, definitions or classifications into the accounting system;
integrating new statistical bases for the calculation that have not been applied yet;
applying new calculation methods;
modernising the presentation and, where required, introducing new terms;
enhancing international comparability.
The most recent major revision of national accounts took place in Germany as also in most other European member states in 2024. The main purpose of this major revision was to refine the results by including new data sources and calculation methods. In addition, as always during a major revision, the opportunity was also used to comprehensively review and revise the entire national accounting system. The revision covered the entire time series from 1991, so that statistical breaks have been avoided as far as possible.
Regular revisions refer to minor corrections for individual quarters or years. They are performed in the course of current calculations and can generally occur during any release date. Such revisions are performed to include into the system current information that differs significantly from the data bases available before. In this way, data users are supplied with the best possible results for analyses and forecasts.
Usually, the data for the quarters of the current year are checked at every quarterly release date, while data for the last four years, including the relevant quarters, are revised only once a year (in August).
17.2. Data revision - practice
While revisions should be seen as a process to progressively improve the quality of national accounts as e.g. better sources and/or methods become available, the availability of metadata on revisions is a key element for understanding national accounts data and revisions between subsequent releases.
Therefore, information on the main reasons for revisions and their nature (new source data available, new methods, etc.) as well as possibly quantitative and qualitative assessment on the average size of revisions and their direction based on historical data is required.
The new concepts of the "European System of National and Regional Accounts" (ESA 2010) were implemented into the national accounts framework as part of the 2014 major revision of national accounts, which was completed in September 2014 in Germany. The ESA 2010 is a European Regulation, which is binding for all EU member states as of 1 September 2014 (Council Regulation (EU) No. 549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013, published in the Official Journal on 26 June 2013).
ESA 2010 is the newest internationally compatible EU accounting framework for a systematic and detailed description of an economy. Compared with the formerly used ESA 1995, the methodology is more harmonised and the concepts, definitions, classifications and accounting rules defined in ESA 2010 are more precise and more accurate. The ESA 2010 regulation now contains 24 chapters of methodology in Annex A, including new chapters on important subjects such as pensions and insurance or government accounts. Annex B determines the transmission programme, i.e. the tables to be transmitted to Eurostat by the member states.
The latest benchmark revision in Germany and most other EU member states took place in 2024.
The next benchmark revision is planned for 2030 and is intended to be carried out in a harmonized manner across Europe. Conceptual changes and expansions specified in the future ESA will be implemented in the as well as the new classification of economic sectors (WZ 2025).
18.1. Source data
For the calculation of national accounts results, all suitable economic statistical sources available at the respective publication date are used, e.g. administrative data, accounting statements, tax data, budgetary reports, population censuses, statistical surveys of businesses and households, statements of supervising institutions and branch organisations, annual and quarterly reports, trade statistics on goods and services, balance of payments information.
Definitions and classifications generally apply equally to both base statistics and national accounts. The base statistics used by the national accounts naturally have varying time lags between data availability and the reporting period. As long as the base statistics required for calculating a specific national accounts variable are not yet available, a preliminary result for that variable is estimated using short-term indicators. Once the source statistics for the corresponding reporting period become available, they are incorporated into the national accounts calculations, replacing the indicator-based estimates. For the calculation of quarterly results and initial preliminary annual results (already in January of the following year), only monthly and quarterly statistics are used, which are received with a time lag of approximately five to eight weeks. More detailed information on the main data sources for the national accounts can be found, for example, in the quarterly methodology description.
Overall, it is difficult to be exhaustive in the listing of data sources. Inventories provided to Eurostat usually include information on main sources (see section 10.6). Further information on data sources can be found on the national websites (www.destatis.de).
18.2. Frequency of data collection
National accounts are compiled on an annual or quarterly basis from other primary statistics. The frequency of data collection of primary statistics varies according to the nature of the data source. For example, short-term business statistics are typically available on a monthly (and quarterly) basis, while structural business statistics are available on a yearly basis. Some households' surveys are available on quarterly or annual frequency (sometimes even less frequent). Population censuses are mostly collected every decade.
18.3. Data collection
National accounts department in Germany does not collect data itself, but receive them from other departments or institutions.
18.4. Data validation
Data validation refers to any activity aimed at verifying that the value of a data item comes from a given set of acceptable values. It is a key task performed in all statistical domains and particularly important for national accounts, which is a key dataset for economic analysis and policy decisions.
In order to increase overall data quality and workflow efficiency, the European Statistical System (ESS) is moving towards more harmonisation of validation activities including the definition of common standards, tools and support for implementation (see ESS validation website). National accounts are a pilot in this area. An ESA 2010 Task Force on validation was established in 2015 to agree and document validation rules in an ESA 2010 validation handbook and progressively implement them in a pre-validation service for national accounts data.
The confrontation of data from different sources is an integral part of the national accounts compilation. Source data used in national accounts undergo a sequence of checks within NSIs.
Data transmitted to Eurostat are submitted to the validation system (CONVAL), this applies rules contained in the ESA 2010 validation handbook.
18.5. Data compilation
Data sources, methods and compilation techniques are country specific, but should be employed in such a way that the definitions and concepts in ESA 2010 are met. Many guidance documents on general and specific national accounts compilation issues are available. See for more details section 10.6.
18.6. Adjustment
Annual data for gross fixed capital formation, capital stocks, consumption of fixed capital, and balance sheets is not seasonally adjusted. Quarterly data for gross fixed capital formation is adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects.
The objectives of seasonal adjustment are to identify and remove seasonal fluctuations and calendar effects which can mask short and long-term movements in a time series and impede a clear understanding of underlying phenomena. Seasonal adjustment is therefore a fundamental process in the interpretation of time series to inform policy making (ESS guidelines on seasonal adjustment, 2015 Edition, Annex, point 1).
According to the ESA transmission programme, quarterly data are to be provided in non-seasonally adjusted form, as well as in seasonally adjusted form (including calendar adjustments, where relevant) except for previous year’s prices.
In German national accounts, seasonal adjustment of quarterly data is based on X13 in JDemetra+, one of the methods recommended in the ESS for international comparison. Before, calendar adjustment is performed by applying calendar factors derived from suitable monthly series. In most cases, the adjustment is component-based, i.e. total adjusted series is calculated by the sum of adjusted components. This does not apply to GDP which is adjusted directly. Calendar and seasonal adjustment is carried out in partnership-based co-operation with the Deutsche Bundesbank. The results are published in Fachserie 18 in an individual series (Series 1.3: Domestic product - Seasonally adjusted quarterly results using X13) and in the database GENESIS-Online.
This metadata is associated with the following tables:
Capital stocks by industry and by detailed asset type
Capital stocks by sector and by detailed asset type
Capital formation by industry and by detailed asset type
Quarterly and annual gross fixed capital formation by main asset type
Stocks and flows are closely related. Stocks result from the accumulation of prior transactions and other flows, and they are changed by transactions and other flows in the accounting period (SNA 2008 §2.4). The data sets above can therefore be analysed together. The main data sources of estimation of capital formation are described in Section 5.10.2 of the German GNI inventory (published in 2026). The estimation methods used are described in Section 5.10.3 of the GNI inventory. Capital stocks are calculated using the perpetual inventory method (PIM), so it is based on the capital formation estimates. The detailed method is described in Section 4.12 of the GNI inventory.
22 April 2026
These data sets require the understanding of various technical concepts, e.g. asset, fixed assets, (produced and non-produced) non-financial assets, fixed capital, capital stock (gross and net), consumption of fixed capital, gross capital formation, and gross fixed capital formation.
According to the ESA 2010, in national accounts two types of units and two corresponding ways of subdividing the economy are used: (a) institutional unit; (b) local kind-of-activity unit (local KAU). The first type is used for describing income, expenditure, and financial flows as well as balance sheets. The second type of units is used for the description of production processes, for input-output analysis and for regional analysis.
An institutional unit is an economic entity characterised by decision-making autonomy in the exercise of its principal function. A resident unit is regarded as constituting an institutional unit in the economic territory where it has its centre of predominant economic interest if it has decision-making autonomy and either keeps a complete set of accounts or is able to compile a complete set of accounts.
A local KAU groups all the parts of an institutional unit in its capacity as producer which are located in a single site or in closely located sites, and which contribute to the performance of an activity at the class level (four digits) of the NACE Rev. 2.
An institutional unit comprises one or more local KAUs; a local KAU belongs to one and only one institutional unit.
The national accounts population of a country consists of all resident statistical units (institutional units or local KAUs, see section 3.5). A unit is a resident unit of a country when it has a centre of predominant economic interest on the economic territory of that country, that is, when it engages for an extended period (one year or more) in economic activities on this territory.
The reference area for National Accounts is the total economy of a country. Results for Germany from 1991 onwards refer to the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany since 3 October 1990. The data for the former territory of the Federal Republic refer to the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany as until 3 October 1990; they include Berlin-West.
The total economy of a country can be broken down into regions. National Accounts results for these regions are compiled under the responsibility of the Federal States by the "Working Party on regional accounts" (Volkswirtschaftliche Gesamtrechnungen der Länder). Consistency with the results for the entire territory of the Federal Republic of Germany is always ensured. However, results are less detailed than at the federal level and not with a quarterly periodicity.
The usual reference period to be used for presenting national accounts data is the calendar year for annual data and the quarter for quarterly data.
Two basic kinds of information are recorded: flows and stocks. Flows refer to actions and effects of events that take place within a given period of time (year or quarter), while stocks refer to positions at a point of time (usually the beginning or end of a year or quarter).
Generally, in Germany sampling and non-sampling errors of the source statistics integrated into national accounts may also be contained in the national accounting results. Also, applying estimation methods and extrapolating time series may lead to inaccuracies. However, this is necessary to meet the user requirements regarding timeliness of the national accounts data. For this reason, a certain degree of inaccuracy is the price to pay for having a high degree of timeliness of the national accounts data.
The quality of the national accounting calculations is continuously checked during the calculation process so that possible shortcomings or errors can be detected and eliminated. Major elements of that quality assurance procedure are the following:
Source statistics, where produced as part of official statistics and used by national accounts, are subjected to quality control in the relevant specialised departments and by the Large Cases Unit (LCU)
In national accounts, the source data provided are checked again for completeness and plausibility.
A major quality assurance element is the far-reaching comparison of the source statistics used in national accounting and of the very results of national accounts with complementary data from other sources.
The national accounting results are reconciled with the results of input-output accounts.
Setting up sector accounts always involves checking the system coherence. The production, use and distribution approaches and also the financial accounts based on institutional sectors must be co-ordinated to reflect a closed economic cycle. Any discrepancies will easily be detected in the balancing items of the sectors.
Further details can be found in the national quality report (section 4.1).
Also, due to their great importance for financial and economic policies and as they are widely used for administrative purposes in the European Union (e.g. payments to the EU budget, calculation of Maastricht criteria), national accounts are regularly subjected to international audits; for example by Eurostat, the European Court of Auditors and the International Monetary Fund (IWF Data-ROSC-Bericht).
All flows and stocks are shown in euros. Flows and stocks shall be measured according to their exchange value, i.e. the value at which flows and stocks are in fact, or could be, exchanged for cash. Market prices are, thus, the ESA's reference for valuation.
In addition to measurement in current (market) prices, some national accounts variables are also expressed in previous year's prices and chain-linked volumes, see section 3.9. Furthermore, it is possible to derive growth rates and indices as well as various other measures '(e.g. percentages, per capita data, data expressed in purchasing power standards)'.
Data sources, methods and compilation techniques are country specific, but should be employed in such a way that the definitions and concepts in ESA 2010 are met. Many guidance documents on general and specific national accounts compilation issues are available. See for more details section 10.6.
For the calculation of national accounts results, all suitable economic statistical sources available at the respective publication date are used, e.g. administrative data, accounting statements, tax data, budgetary reports, population censuses, statistical surveys of businesses and households, statements of supervising institutions and branch organisations, annual and quarterly reports, trade statistics on goods and services, balance of payments information.
Definitions and classifications generally apply equally to both base statistics and national accounts. The base statistics used by the national accounts naturally have varying time lags between data availability and the reporting period. As long as the base statistics required for calculating a specific national accounts variable are not yet available, a preliminary result for that variable is estimated using short-term indicators. Once the source statistics for the corresponding reporting period become available, they are incorporated into the national accounts calculations, replacing the indicator-based estimates. For the calculation of quarterly results and initial preliminary annual results (already in January of the following year), only monthly and quarterly statistics are used, which are received with a time lag of approximately five to eight weeks. More detailed information on the main data sources for the national accounts can be found, for example, in the quarterly methodology description.
Overall, it is difficult to be exhaustive in the listing of data sources. Inventories provided to Eurostat usually include information on main sources (see section 10.6). Further information on data sources can be found on the national websites (www.destatis.de).
The dissemination of data is aligned with the transmission requirements for each dataset which are defined in the ESA 2010 transmission programme:
Quarterly data is only required for gross fixed capital formation,
Annual data is required for gross fixed capital formation, capital stocks, consumption of fixed capital, and balance sheets.
National accounts data should become available to users as timely as possible, taking into account the frequency of the data (annual or quarterly), the character of the data (information on the structure of the economy or on business cycle) and an adequate balance between accuracy and timeliness.
The ESA 2010 transmission programme defines the required timeliness for all national accounts tables. Quarterly tables should become available between 2 and 3 months after the quarter-end. The annual tables have to be transmitted between 2 months (main aggregates) and 36 months (supply and use tables) after the end of the reference year.
The geographical comparability of national accounts in Member States of the EU is ensured by the application of common definitions of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). Worldwide geographical comparison is also possible as most non-European countries apply the guidelines of the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA 2008), which is consistent with ESA 2010.
As the data for all reference periods are compiled according to the requirements of the ESA 2010, national accounts data are fully comparable over time. Also, in the case of fundamental changes to methods or classifications, revisions of long time series are performed, usually going far back into the past.
One of the characteristics of national accounts is the fact that, in the case of fundamental changes to methods or classifications, revisions of long time series are performed going far back into the past, so that an optimum range of data are offered to data users. Quarterly and annual data without breaks are provided for Germany as a whole from the first quarter of 1991. Regarding the former territory of the Federal Republic, time series without breaks are available for the period from 1970 to 1991 (data for 1991 being available both for Germany and for the former territory of the Federal Republic). However, they are also not comparable with the revised data for Germany in methodological terms as they were not adjusted to the new classifications in the context of the 2011 revision of national accounts and were not revised in the context of the major revisions in 2014, 2019 and 2024. In addition, (unrevised) annual data are available for the period from 1950 to 1969 and some selected results for the years from 1925 to 1938. However, those time series contain breaks caused by different territorial delimitations, concepts, definitions and price base years; they will not be revised any more.
