While the economy is growing strongly in some federal states, it is shrinking significantly in others.
The Munich Ifo Institute estimates a range between 2.4 percent growth in Schleswig-Holstein and a shrinkage of 2.8 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia for the third quarter, as announced on Wednesday.
The basis is a new estimation method developed by economic researchers.
There was also clearly above-average growth in the third quarter in Rhineland-Palatinate with 1.8 percent, Hamburg with 1.6, Bremen with 1.3, Berlin with 1.2 and Hesse with 1.1 percent.
In contrast, the economy developed well below average – in addition to NRW – in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with minus 1.4 percent as well as Saxony-Anhalt (-0.9 percent) and Bavaria (-0.8 percent).
In the midfield around the German average of 0.3 percent growth in Germany already reported by the Federal Statistical Office are Baden-Württemberg with 0.6 percent growth, Lower Saxony with 0.3 percent, Brandenburg with 0.2 percent, Thuringia with 0, 1 percent, Saxony with 0 percent and Saarland with a minus of 0.4 percent.
According to Ifo, structural features are decisive for the differences.
"In the case of Schleswig-Holstein, it shows that countries with higher excess savings in the Corona years now have greater consumption opportunities," said Ifo researcher Robert Lehmann.
"Federal states with a strong car industry (Bremen) or with a high proportion of services (Berlin) are doing quite well." In contrast, countries with lower growth have a higher proportion of energy-intensive production - such as North Rhine-Westphalia with the metal industry - or a higher inflation rate - such as Saxony-Anhalt.
The estimate is based on a new Ifo method based on the first publication of the Federal Statistical Office for Germany as a whole.
"For the first time, we are calculating quarterly figures for the federal states, shortly after the number for the federal government," said Lehmann.
"Until now, there have only been figures for whole calendar years, and with some delay." The figures are a comparison with the previous quarter and are seasonally and calendar-adjusted.