German wholesale prices rise 5.9% in May 2026

The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported that German wholesale selling prices increased by 5.9 % in May 2026 compared with May 2025, while falling 0.6 % against April 2026. The agency noted that the surge was largely driven by the war in Iran and the broader Middle‑East, which lifted energy‑related and raw‑material costs.

The sharpest year‑on‑year gains were seen in mineral‑oil products (+30.5 %) and non‑ferrous ores, metals and semi‑finished products (+36.1 %). Prices for chemicals (+13.3 %), flowers and plants (+8.5 %) and iron‑steel products (+6.7 %) also rose. By contrast, wholesale prices for live animals, coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, dairy products and edible oils fell, with live‑animal prices down 10.1 % YoY.

A reduction in the energy tax on mineral‑oil products helped offset the upward pressure, contributing to the 0.6 % month‑on‑month decline. The full index and detailed tables are available via Destatis’s GENESIS‑Online database and the “Dashboard Konjunktur”.